Berlin
The last trial stemming from government shootings at the Berlin Wall came to an end this week, when two former East German officials were found guilty of abetting the murders of three people trying to escape to the West. From 1961 to 1989, about 1,000 people were shot trying to sneak from communist East Berlin to democratic West Berlin. Since the wall came down in the peaceful revolution of 1989 and the two Germanys reunited, hundreds of former border guards and officials have been convicted of murder, though most have received suspended sentences. Former East German Politburo members Hans-Joachim Boehme, 74, and Siegfried Lorenz, 73, the last to be charged, were each sentenced this week to one year of probation.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raidsIn the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
