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[#165785]
Written by: JungleBoy [02/09/11, 13:42] Action: [ Reply ] [ Quote ] |
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Al-Jazeera People and Power 2011 Germany's Records of Repression PDTV x264 AAC MVGroup Fifty years after the Berlin Wall was erected, the spectre of the Stasi continues to loom over Germany. How the search for justice by victims of Germany's Stasi repression is inspiring survivors of the Middle East's overthrown dictatorships. On August 13, 1961, 50 years ago this month, the Berlin Wall went up in Germany. This barrier divided a country, segregated families and separated friends, and its existence would cast a pall over the country. As a stark symbol of the Cold War, the wall existed in an era of fear, secrecy and heightened political tension, and those that lived in its shadow would know the painful repercussions of its hardliner policies. For what followed in the years of a divided Germany was a surveillance culture brought on by one of the largest and most feared secret service organisations in the world - the Stasi. Al-Jazeera Site: http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/peopleandpower/2011/08/2011823111516571646.html  Technical Spec Video Codec: x264 CABAC Video Bitrate: 1000 Kbps Video Resolution: 788x460 Video Aspect Ratio: 1.713:1 Audio Codec: HE-AAC Audio Bitrate: 96 Kbps ABR 48KHz Audio Channels: 2 Run-Time: 25 mins Framerate: 25FPS Number of Parts: 1 Part Size: 196 MB Source: PDTV Encoded by: JungleBoy |
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[#165786]
Written by: BoonesFerry (Moderator) [02/09/11, 14:44] Action: [ Reply ] [ Quote ] |
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http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/peopleandpower/2011/08/2011823111516571646.html Cont... Founded in 1950, the Stasi was charged with keeping tabs on all the people living in East Germany, or what was then officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It compiled millions of photos, audio and video tapes, and paper files about its citizens. As a result, thousands of people were subjected to intimidation and torture by the Stasi. Many were imprisoned, while others were prevented from getting jobs or going to university. The aim was not only to thwart professional aspirations, but to destroy the personal lives of those that opposed the regime. At its height, the Stasi had over 102,000 officers and nearly a quarter of a million of its own citizens spying on family members, neighbours and colleagues. In 1989, while the Berlin Wall crumbled, senior Stasi officials ordered the destruction of the files they had collected for over 40 years. Data gathered by the Stasi was frantically shredded to destroy evidence, but after protesters stormed the headquarters to stop the destruction, nearly 95 per cent was saved. Piecing together the past After reunification, a new government came to power and the Stasi files were reopened again in 1992. Over the next two decades, tens of thousands of people have requested access to the files on them in order to piece together a past that was shrouded in secrecy and subterfuge. Many apply in order to prove they were unjustly imprisoned, to clear their criminal record and claim compensation for any time spent in jail. Last year 80,000 people, more than double the number of the previous year, applied to see their files. The person recently appointed to head the archive in March 2011 is journalist and former East German dissident Roland Jahn. Thirty years ago he was in a Stasi prison. Now he is responsible for the 111 kilometre of files that remain in the secret Stasi files. Yet for many, justice is still not being served. Many ex-Stasi officials have never received punishment for their crimes, while some remain in positions of power in Germany or have retired with handsome pensions. Yet ordinary citizens who have been victims of the secret police's tactics still remain traumatised by their treatment, while many live in poverty as a result of their legacy. Unmasking the perpetrators As the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Wall is recognised, the spectre of the Stasi remains. While the files were only meant to be open for 10 years, nearly 20 years later calls by victims asking for their perpetrators to be identified are growing louder. Jahn says time may be running out for the former Stasi who believe they have escaped prosecution. As a new project is underway to reconstruct over a million pages of files, many senior Stasi and collaborators may soon be brought to justice and a chapter in Germany's history may finally be closed. This episode of People & Power by filmmaker Glenn Ellis tells the story of infiltration and reconciliation, and of one man's efforts to uncover the true faces of the Communist legacy in Germany. |
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[#165787]
Written by: BoonesFerry (Moderator) [02/09/11, 14:53] Action: [ Reply ] [ Quote ] |
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"People and Power - Germany's records of repression" is also on the "AlJazeeraEnglish" Youtube channel. |
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