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Phone: +49 4106 804806· Fax: +49 4106 804807 Email: [email protected]· http://www.bucer.de/bq.html Released for free complete or partial reproduction. A joint platform for the following Bonn organi- zations on the basis of the Evangelical Alliance:

Business Coalition of the World Evangelical Alliance (Bonn, BQ 665 – No. 47/2020 Hamburg) Commission for Religious Freedom of the German andthe Cottbus Declaration on GDR Forced Labor of Austrian EvangelicalAlliance www.ead.de/akref

September 13, 2020: “Serious injustice has Culture and Science Publ. (VKW) been done to these people” www.vkwonline.com Department of Theological Concerns of the World (Bonn, 16.10.2020) The Union of Victims’ Associations of Communist Tyranny e.V. Evangelical Alliance (UOKG), the Human Rights Center Cottbus (MRZ), the International Society for Human www.worldevangelicals.org/ Rights (IGFM) and the Memorial Foundation Victims of Communism (VIC) organized a pdf/TN-47-1-Jan-2018.pdf tribunal on “Forced Labor in Political Prison in the GDR”. The top-class international jury Giving Hands –International listened to expert lectures for two days and interviewed 14 witnesses. In the end the jury Charity www.gebende-haende.de wrote the “Cottbus Declaration on GDR Forced Labor”. International Institute forIslamic Studies (IIIS) of the World Thomas Schirrmacher, President of the International Council of the International Society Evangelical Alliance for Human Rights, summarized his experience to the press: “Almost all applications for www.islaminstitute.net recognition of post-trau- International Institute forReligious matic disorders resulting Freedom (IIRF)of the World from forced labor have been EvangelicalAlliance (International Headquarter,EU-Office Brüssel) and are still being rejected, www.iirf.eu and many former political International Information Centre prisoners of the GDR are in for Religious Freedom Germany despair. The slowness, e.V. (IIRF-D) (Tübingen) www.iirf-d.de even lameness, with which Martin Bucer Seminary(Bonn, the authorities handle these Linz, Zürich, Prague,Tirana, São applications is frightening, Paulo, Helsinki, Istanbul,Delhi) even contemptuous of hu- www.bucer.org manity. The most important missiotop – EvangelicalForum for Missions, Culturesand Religions passage in this statement is (GermanEvangelical Alliance) therefore, in my opinion, the www.missiotop.org demand for a reversal of the Office of Intrafaith andInterfaith burden of proof in the case Relations of theWorld Evangelical of illnesses resulting from Alliance forced labor and typical of Theological Commission ofthe European EvangelicalAlliance prison.” www.europeanea.org Dieter Dombrowski, Federal Chairman of the Union of Victims’ Associations of Commu- Theological Commission of nist Tyranny (UOKG), welcomed the Cottbus’ Declaration with the words: “It is important the World Evangelical Alliance www.worldevangelicals.org/tc/ that in the 30th year of German Unity the exploitation of political prisoners through forced UN Bonn liaison for inter-religious labor is not forgotten. Many of the former forced laborers have retained severe physical concerns of WEA

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Text & Technology: World Evangelical Alliance – Titus Vogt (ViSdP) Office Bonn Vorderer Kamp 52a, D-25479 Ellerau SOS World (Brussels) Phone: +49 4106 804806 www.sosworld.be/page-daccueil/ Fax: +49 4106 804807 Email:[email protected]

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and psychological damage. A joint platform for the following Bonn organi- The jury was unanimous in zations on the basis of the its advice and its demands. Evangelical Alliance:

These people have suffered Business Coalition of the World grave injustice and they Evangelical Alliance (Bonn, need help and support.” Hamburg) Commission for Religious Dr. Susanne Kill, since 1999 Freedom of the German andthe head of the “Corporate His- Austrian EvangelicalAlliance www.ead.de/akref tory / Historical Collection” at DB AG (the German rail- Culture and Science Publ. (VKW) www.vkwonline.com way) and author of the book “Die Reichsbahn und der Department of Theological Concerns of the World Strafvollzug in der DDR” Evangelical Alliance spoke about “Prisoner www.worldevangelicals.org/ Forced Labor for the German During a plenary session © BQ/Martin Warnecke pdf/TN-47-1-Jan-2018.pdf Reichsbahn of the GDR – His- Giving Hands –International Charity torical Research and Remembrance Policy”. Further lectures on “Forced Labor of Political www.gebende-haende.de Prisoners in the SED Dictatorship” were given by Dr. Jan Philipp Wölbern, University of International Institute forIslamic Postdam and specialist for the prisoner release between GDR and FRG, and Dr. Christian Studies (IIIS) of the World Sachse. Further contributions were made by Maria Nooke, Brandenburg’s representative Evangelical Alliance for coming to terms with the consequences of the communist dictatorship, and Birgit www.islaminstitute.net Neumann-Becker, Saxony-Anhalt’s representative for coming to terms with the SED International Institute forReligious Freedom (IIRF)of the World dictatorship. Birgit Neumann-Becker also presented the touring exhibition of the state of EvangelicalAlliance (International Saxony-Anhalt, which had been set up in Cottbus and can be ordered. Headquarter,EU-Office Brüssel) www.iirf.eu

The jury was made up of: International Information Centre for Religious Freedom Germany • Dr. Matthias Bath, former public prosecutor in Berlin 1988–2017, former political e.V. (IIRF-D) (Tübingen) prisoner www.iirf-d.de Martin Bucer Seminary(Bonn, • Peter Heidt, MdB, Chairman of the FDP parliamentary group in the Committee Linz, Zürich, Prague,Tirana, São for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid in the German Federal Parliament Paulo, Helsinki, Istanbul,Delhi) www.bucer.org • Prof. Dr. Huige Li, Deputy Director of the Institute for Pharmacology at the missiotop – EvangelicalForum for University Medical Center Mainz, born in China Missions, Culturesand Religions (GermanEvangelical Alliance) • Bada Nam, Secretary General of the human rights organization PSCORE, South www.missiotop.org

Korea Office of Intrafaith andInterfaith Relations of theWorld Evangelical • Vladimir Novitsky, attorney from Moscow, Chairman of the International Society Alliance

for Human Rights (IGFM), Russia Section Theological Commission ofthe European EvangelicalAlliance • Carla Ottmann, deputy federal chairwoman of the UOKG, former political www.europeanea.org prisoners in Hoheneck, honorary judge at the Social Court of Berlin Theological Commission of • Dr. Klára Pinerová, historian, Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes of the the World Evangelical Alliance www.worldevangelicals.org/tc/ Czech Republic, in Prague UN Bonn liaison for inter-religious concerns of WEA

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• Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher, President of the International Council of the A joint platform for the following Bonn organi- International Society for Human Rights, expert on human trafficking zations on the basis of the • Marion Smith, CEO of Victims of Communism, Memorial Foundation, US Evangelical Alliance: Congress Business Coalition of the World Evangelical Alliance (Bonn, • Arnold Vaatz, MdB, since 2002 Deputy Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary Hamburg) group in the German Federal Parliament, former GDR civil rights activist, lead Commission for Religious the re-establishment of the Free State of Saxony Freedom of the German andthe Austrian EvangelicalAlliance www.ead.de/akref

Cottbus Declaration on GDR Forced Labor Culture and Science Publ. (VKW) From September 13, 2020 (preliminary translation) www.vkwonline.com Department of Theological From September 11th to 13th, 2020, a tribunal on the subject of “Forced Labor in Political Concerns of the World Custody in the GDR” took place in the Cottbus Human Rights Center, the former East Evangelical Alliance www.worldevangelicals.org/ German penal institution Cottbus, at the invitation of the Union of Victims’ Associations pdf/TN-47-1-Jan-2018.pdf of Communist Tyranny (UOKG). Giving Hands –International Charity An international jury was www.gebende-haende.de faced with the task of deter- International Institute forIslamic mining “whether character- Studies (IIIS) of the World istics of forbidden forced Evangelical Alliance www.islaminstitute.net labor and exploitation according to internationally International Institute forReligious Freedom (IIRF)of the World recognized definitions” were EvangelicalAlliance (International fulfilled in relation to political Headquarter,EU-Office Brüssel) prisoners of the SED dicta- www.iirf.eu torship. International Information Centre for Religious Freedom Germany e.V. (IIRF-D) (Tübingen) The jury heard several spe- www.iirf-d.de cialist lectures on the defini- Martin Bucer Seminary(Bonn, tion of forced labor, its Linz, Zürich, Prague,Tirana, São prohibition under interna- Paulo, Helsinki, Istanbul,Delhi) www.bucer.org tional law and the basics of Part of the jury, in the middle Carla Ottmann © BQ/Martin Warnecke forced labor of political pris- missiotop – EvangelicalForum for Missions, Culturesand Religions oners in the GDR in various branches of industry. The jury also interviewed 14 former (GermanEvangelical Alliance) political prisoners (4 women and 10 men) who during their imprisonment in different www.missiotop.org industrial areas and at different times were used for forced work for industrial companies Office of Intrafaith andInterfaith in the GDR. Relations of theWorld Evangelical Alliance

After the lectures they had heard and the questioning of contemporary witnesses, the Theological Commission ofthe jury came to the conclusion that the GDR penal system was one of the largest employers European EvangelicalAlliance www.europeanea.org within the GDR’s state-planned economy. For this purpose, the GDR penal system and its facilities maintained a nationwide network of labor deployment companies in which Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance the most varied of GDR companies had production for their purposes, taking advantage www.worldevangelicals.org/tc/ of the generally existing work obligations of prisoners in the GDR. Many of the products UN Bonn liaison for inter-religious created in this way were intended for exports to the non-socialist economic area. The concerns of WEA

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individual conviction of forced A joint platform for the following Bonn organi- labor required by international zations on the basis of the law by the court did not take Evangelical Alliance: place. Business Coalition of the World Evangelical Alliance (Bonn, The prisoners could not choose Hamburg) their occupation, nor was their Commission for Religious professional qualifications Freedom of the German andthe taken into account. Instead, Austrian EvangelicalAlliance www.ead.de/akref they were called upon to work solely according to the specifi- Culture and Science Publ. (VKW) www.vkwonline.com cations of the national economic plan and the possibilities Department of Theological Concerns of the World of the respective institution. In Evangelical Alliance many cases, the statutory pro- At the microphone Sylvia Wähling, Director of the Cottbus Penitentiary www.worldevangelicals.org/ visions on health and safety at Memorial© BQ/Martin Warnecke pdf/TN-47-1-Jan-2018.pdf work that were otherwise applicable in the GDR were not complied with in the institutions. Giving Hands –International Charity The inmates had to work longer than was the case in normal factories. As a rule, the www.gebende-haende.de penal institutions also worked around the clock in three shifts. In addition, physically International Institute forIslamic difficult and health-hazardous jobs were often carried out in prison establishments. There Studies (IIIS) of the World was a lack of work clothes and protective measures to prevent accidents at work. The Evangelical Alliance accident rate was also much higher than in normal industrial companies. In addition, www.islaminstitute.net medical care after occupational accidents was often inadequate. International Institute forReligious Freedom (IIRF)of the World EvangelicalAlliance (International In cases of doubt, the prisoners’ duty to work was enforced with severe sanctions, arrest Headquarter,EU-Office Brüssel) sentences and even physical violence in the event of under-compliance or refusal to work. www.iirf.eu

The witnesses reported, among other things, a writing ban, beatings, threats with International Information Centre consequences for the children for Religious Freedom Germany e.V. (IIRF-D) (Tübingen) and being taken to standing www.iirf-d.de cells. The characteristics of Martin Bucer Seminary(Bonn, forced labor are thus fulfilled. In Linz, Zürich, Prague,Tirana, São addition, this forced labor was Paulo, Helsinki, Istanbul,Delhi) generally inadequately paid. www.bucer.org missiotop – EvangelicalForum for The GDR has thus violated all Missions, Culturesand Religions (GermanEvangelical Alliance) international agreements of the www.missiotop.org United Nations and the Interna- Office of Intrafaith andInterfaith tional Labor Organization to Relations of theWorld Evangelical suppress and outlaw forced la- Alliance bor and did not even grant its Theological Commission ofthe prisoners the minimum princi- European EvangelicalAlliance ples of the United Nations for www.europeanea.org Thomas Schirrmacher in conversation with Birgit Neumann-Becker, the treatment of prisoners, Theological Commission of representative of the state of Saxony-Anhalt © BQ/Martin Warnecke the World Evangelical Alliance even though it had acceded to www.worldevangelicals.org/tc/ this latter agreement. UN Bonn liaison for inter-religious concerns of WEA

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Even if the Federal Republic of Germany cannot be regarded across the board as the A joint platform for the following Bonn organi- legal successor of the GDR, the values of the Basic Law and Article 17 of the Unification zations on the basis of the Treaty of August 31, 1990 result in a legal obligation to permanently come to terms with Evangelical Alliance: the SED injustice and to create appropriate compensation regulations for the victims of Business Coalition of the World the SED dictatorship. Evangelical Alliance (Bonn, Hamburg) The overwhelming majority of the former political prisoners of the GDR have been Commission for Religious compensated for the imprisonment they suffered through criminal rehabilitation. Freedom of the German andthe Austrian EvangelicalAlliance In stark contrast to this is the often inappropriate treatment of claims for compensation www.ead.de/akref and the duration of the corresponding proceedings. Culture and Science Publ. (VKW) www.vkwonline.com However, these compensa- Department of Theological tion regulations do not cover Concerns of the World the forced labor suffered in Evangelical Alliance www.worldevangelicals.org/ addition to the mere depri- pdf/TN-47-1-Jan-2018.pdf vation of liberty and the re- Giving Hands –International sulting psychological and Charity physical health damage, so www.gebende-haende.de that there is a need for fur- International Institute forIslamic ther regulation. Studies (IIIS) of the World Evangelical Alliance In order to facilitate the www.islaminstitute.net recognition of consequential International Institute forReligious Freedom (IIRF)of the World damage from GDR impris- EvangelicalAlliance (International onment and the forced labor Headquarter,EU-Office Brüssel) suffered there, a standard www.iirf.eu presumption in favor of the (from left to right): Karl Hafen, Thomas Schirrmacher and Dr. Sorin Muresan International Information Centre in front of the poster of the tribunal and the outside wall of the former victims of the SED dictator- for Religious Freedom Germany Cottbus penitentiary © BQ/Martin Warnecke e.V. (IIRF-D) (Tübingen) ship should be introduced or www.iirf-d.de the burden of proof should be reversed in the sense of the regulation of the Federal Martin Bucer Seminary(Bonn, Compensation Act (BEG). Linz, Zürich, Prague,Tirana, São Paulo, Helsinki, Istanbul,Delhi) In addition, an independent fund should be created for compensation or reparation www.bucer.org payments for the benefit of former prisoner forced laborers. The beneficiaries of political missiotop – EvangelicalForum for Missions, Culturesand Religions forced labor in the GDR and their legal successors were to make payments for this fund. (GermanEvangelical Alliance) In the interests of the victims, the political mandate and decision-makers are called upon www.missiotop.org to promote this process. Office of Intrafaith andInterfaith Relations of theWorld Evangelical We welcome IKEA’s willingness to participate in this fund. We urge companies and Alliance policymakers to follow suit. Theological Commission ofthe European EvangelicalAlliance The Foundation for Political Prisoners or the East German Forced Labor Foundation www.europeanea.org would be responsible for the administration of this fund to be created. V. into considera- Theological Commission of tion. the World Evangelical Alliance www.worldevangelicals.org/tc/

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In view of the advanced age of those affected, it is urgent to act as soon as possible. A joint platform for the following Bonn organi- Dr. Matthias Bath zations on the basis of the Evangelical Alliance: Peter Heidt, MdB Prof. Dr. Huige Li Business Coalition of the World Evangelical Alliance (Bonn, Bada Nam Hamburg) Carla Ottmann Commission for Religious Dr. Klára Pinerová Freedom of the German andthe Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher Austrian EvangelicalAlliance www.ead.de/akref Marion Smith Arnold Vaatz, MdB Culture and Science Publ. (VKW) www.vkwonline.com

Department of Theological Concerns of the World Downloads and Links: Evangelical Alliance www.worldevangelicals.org/ • Cottbus Declaration on GDR Forced Labor from September 13, 2020 (pdf) pdf/TN-47-1-Jan-2018.pdf Giving Hands –International • Cottbus Declaration on GDR Forced Labor from September 13, 2020 with the Charity original signatures of the Jury in German (pdf) www.gebende-haende.de • Brochure of the event with introduction of the jury members in German (pdf) International Institute forIslamic Studies (IIIS) of the World Evangelical Alliance • Thelogooftheevent(png) www.islaminstitute.net

• Photo 1 andphoto 2: During a plenary session © BQ/Martin Warnecke International Institute forReligious Freedom (IIRF)of the World • Photo 3: The chairman of the jury Staatsanwalt a.D. Matthias Bath © BQ/Martin EvangelicalAlliance (International Warnecke Headquarter,EU-Office Brüssel) www.iirf.eu

• Photo 4: Part of the jury, in the middle Carla Ottmann © BQ/Martin Warnecke International Information Centre for Religious Freedom Germany • Photo 5: At the microphone Sylvia Wähling, Director of the Cottbus Penitentiary e.V. (IIRF-D) (Tübingen) Memorial © BQ/Martin Warnecke www.iirf-d.de Martin Bucer Seminary(Bonn, • Photo 6: Thomas Schirrmacher asks a question on behalf of the jury in Cottbus Linz, Zürich, Prague,Tirana, São © BQ/Martin Warnecke Paulo, Helsinki, Istanbul,Delhi) www.bucer.org

• Photo 7: Thomas Schirrmacher in conversation with Birgit Neumann-Becker, re- missiotop – EvangelicalForum for presentative of the state of Saxony-Anhalt © BQ/Martin Warnecke Missions, Culturesand Religions (GermanEvangelical Alliance) • Photo 8 (from left to right): Karl Hafen, Thomas Schirrmacher and Dr. Sorin Mu- www.missiotop.org resan in front of the poster of the tribunal and the outside wall of the former Cott- Office of Intrafaith andInterfaith bus penitentiary © BQ/Martin Warnecke Relations of theWorld Evangelical Alliance

• Photo 9: Thomas Schirrmacher in front of the poster of the tribunal on the outsi- Theological Commission ofthe de wall of the former Cottbus penitentiary © BQ/Martin Warnecke European EvangelicalAlliance www.europeanea.org

• Opening speeches of the event: Theological Commission of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeDZilAEU1w the World Evangelical Alliance www.worldevangelicals.org/tc/ • Press release of the UOKG in German: UN Bonn liaison for inter-religious http://www.uokg.de/2020/09/cottbusser-erklaerung-zur-ddr-zwangsarbeit/ concerns of WEA

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• Invitation of the UOKG to the Tribunal in German: A joint platform for the following Bonn organi- http://www.uokg.de/2020/09/tribunal-zwangsarbeit-in-politscher-ddr-haft/ zations on the basis of the • Press release of the ISHR: Evangelical Alliance: https://ishr.org/these-people-have-experienced-greatest-injustice/ Business Coalition of the World Evangelical Alliance (Bonn, • Website of the commissioners of the state of Brandenburg for the Reappraisal of Hamburg) the consequences of the communist dictatorship (in German):https://aufarbei- Commission for Religious tung.brandenburg.de Freedom of the German andthe Austrian EvangelicalAlliance • Wikipedia entry on Maria Nooke (in German): www.ead.de/akref https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Nooke Culture and Science Publ. (VKW) www.vkwonline.com • Website of the State Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship Department of Theological (in German):http://www.thla-thueringen.de Concerns of the World Evangelical Alliance • Message from the Federal Agency for Civic Education (in German): www.worldevangelicals.org/ https://www.bpb.de/geschichte/deutsche-geschichte/stasi/234183/zwangsarbeit pdf/TN-47-1-Jan-2018.pdf Giving Hands –International • BQ 463: Europe and the USA should combine their Expertise in the Battle Charity against Human Trafficking: www.gebende-haende.de

https://www.bucer.de/ressource/details/bonner-querschnitte-022017-ausgabe- International Institute forIslamic 463-eng.html Studies (IIIS) of the World Evangelical Alliance • BQ 556: New German book on human trafficking: www.islaminstitute.net https://www.bucer.de/ressource/details/bonner-querschnitte-392018-ausgabe- International Institute forReligious 556-eng.html Freedom (IIRF)of the World EvangelicalAlliance (International • BQ 627: Guest lecture by Thomas Schirrmacher on human trafficking at the Uni- Headquarter,EU-Office Brüssel) www.iirf.eu versity of Cologne: International Information Centre https://www.bucer.de/ressource/details/bonner-querschnitte-092020-ausgabe- for Religious Freedom Germany 627-eng.html e.V. (IIRF-D) (Tübingen) www.iirf-d.de

Martin Bucer Seminary(Bonn, Linz, Zürich, Prague,Tirana, São Paulo, Helsinki, Istanbul,Delhi) www.bucer.org

missiotop – EvangelicalForum for Missions, Culturesand Religions (GermanEvangelical Alliance) www.missiotop.org

Office of Intrafaith andInterfaith Relations of theWorld Evangelical Alliance

Theological Commission ofthe European EvangelicalAlliance www.europeanea.org

Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance www.worldevangelicals.org/tc/

UN Bonn liaison for inter-religious concerns of WEA

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