Marianne Birthler
Marianne Birthler born Radtke ( born January 22, 1948 in Berlin ) is a German politician ( Alliance 90/The Greens ) and from 2000 to March 2011, the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic.
Professional and private career
Marianne Birthler was born in Berlin -Friedrichshain. After graduating from high school - despite quitting the FDJ - and the Facharbeiterbrief 1966 in Berlin, she worked in the GDR's foreign trade and completed a correspondence course at the same time the foreign trade business, which she completed in 1972. There followed a family break and employment in the veterinary practice of her husband. At the same time they actively volunteered in the Protestant church with and organized discussion groups on social and political issues. Marianne Birthler began in 1976 a five-year educational community for distance education catechist and parish worker. From 1981 to 1987 she worked in the children 's and youth work of the Protestant Elijah community in Berlin 's Prenzlauer Berg district. In 1987, she became Junior Officer City Youth Parish of East Berlin. Marianne Birthler is divorced. She was married to the vet to 1983 and later Minister of the Brandenburg state government and state representative Wolfgang Birthler and has three daughters.
Opposition and Peaceful Revolution
From the mid- eighties she was in ever closer contact with opposition groups in Berlin and made primarily in the Peace and Human Rights Initiative no secret of their oppositional stance against the SED. In 1986, she was one of the founding members of the working group " Solidarity Church " who put the democratization of Church and Society in the GDR in the center of its efforts. In the Alexanderplatz demonstration November 4, 1989 Birthler spoke for peace and human rights initiative. The last GDR People's Chamber Marianne Birthler from March until October 1990 and was a spokesperson for the Alliance 90 from 3 October to the first all-German elections on 2 December the German Bundestag.
Political offices and activities 1990-2000
In October 1990, Marianne Birthler was chosen for Alliance 90 in the Brandenburg state parliament. In November, she took over the state government under Manfred Stolpe, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. In the summer of 1992 they laid and Environment Minister Matthias Platzeck down their parliamentary mandates. Both justified this step with the necessary working ability of the six-member group - where they made two substitutes on the court, but their internal fractional voting rights retained - and with the necessary separation between the legislative and the executive. Finally, they met on October 29, 1992 in protest of their ministerial office back after the Stasi involvement of Manfred Stolpe were known. Shortly after their application has been successful for the post of speaker of the new Alliance 90/The Greens. In 1993, she was member of the board of the German Protestant Church Congress. In October 1995, Marianne Birthler got as an award, the Federal Cross of Merit 1st class.
In 2009, she was for the Green Party member of the 13th Federal Assembly for election of the President. Prior to the election, she was with the supported also by the Greens SPD - presidential candidate Gesine Schwan due swan controversial statement that the regime had been no wrong state, clashed. In 2010 she was a member of the 14th Federal Assembly for election of the President. In 2011 she was awarded the Grand Cross of Merit with Star.
Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives 2000-2011
In September 2000, Marianne Birthler as successor Joachim Gauck Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic. On January 27, 2006, she was confirmed by the Bundestag with the vast majority of 486 MPs at 60 votes against and 17 abstentions in this office.
The term of office ended in March 2011. Birthler Roland Jahn wanted as his successor, who was elected on 28 January 2011 as her successor by the Bundestag. Jahn was expatriated in 1983 against his will from the GDR. On 25 March 2011 Birthler was awarded for its use in the Reconciliation of the SED dictatorship and their voluntary commitment by the then German President Christian Wulff, the Great Cross of Merit with Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Criticism, according to the 2005 federal election
As part of the 2005 federal election claimed Marianne Birthler that would have worked in the Left Party in the Bundestag on the file at least seven of the new recruiting deputies in the GDR for the Ministry of State Security. After criticism she corrected herself as to the number had been referring only to the unofficial employees " under the promising candidates," the party. Of these, but not all were selected. After these remarks have been calls from the Left Party after Birth Jewellers resignation. A voluntary survey on the number of former IM should shed light on this matter.
Discussion about the firing order on the inner German border
For a controversial discussion was provided by a common 11 August 2007 Declaration by Marianne Birthler, which in the Magdeburg branch of the Stasi Records Authority a " sensational " discovery in the form of a " full firing order " for a special unit of the border troops had been made. In fact, the seven-page document, however, was already in 1997 appeared in a document band for GDR history excerpts. Was publicly made known to the paper already in 1993.
→ See also: firing order for special forces
In addition to activities and honorary positions
From 1993 to 2005 Marianne Birthler was board member of the German Protestant Church Congress. Marianne Birthler belonged to the circle of supporters and was a member of the advisory board of the lobby group " Berlin Metropolis ". She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation staff.