Publisher's Synopsis
The seventh volume concludes this documentation and describes criminal proceedings involving previously undocumented case groups. The first section documents the criminal processing of prisoner abuse in the GDR. The results of the proceedings refute the political propaganda of the ideal socialist penal system. The number and intensity of the offences demonstrate the normalcy of prisoner abuse in the GDR. In the following section, the documented criminal proceedings illustrate the systematic and comprehensive GDR doping practice in competitive sports. The selected documents clearly show the manipulation caused by collaboration between political leaders and the management of sport organizations. The documentation also shows how the practical execution of doping was divided up between doctors, trainers, and sporting event organizers. A third section is dedicated to criminal proceedings based on denunciations that were initiated by members of the community against fellow citizens. The defendants were normally accused of informing an official GDR department of an escape plan or that a statement critical of the government had been made. These acts always resulted in massive consequences for the victim. They were taken into custody and often sentenced to multiple years in prison. The fourth section presents a criminal proceeding based on embargo infringements, which showcases an important aspect of the injustice of the system and the economic factors. By circumventing trade restrictions, the GDR attempted to satisfy their demand for high-end technology products, including modern weapons from the West.
