Successfully established
Hanau, on the Main, March 27, 2023
Press release of the Initiative for Justice of the Victims of the Communist Dictatorship e.V. (IGOKD)
Headquarter Neil-Armstrong Street 1b 63457 Hanau on the Main
Chairman M.Mutterlose
Foundation of an umbrella organization for political victims of the Communist Dictatorship On March 22, 2023, an independent umbrella organization for political victims of the communist dictatorship was founded.
The Initiative for Justice for Victims of Communist Dictatorship/IGOKD is a non-profit association and is party-politically neutral In the English-speaking world, the association bears the name (Initiative for Justice of Victims of the Communist Dictatorship /IJVCD. The association represents the legitimate interests of the politically persecuted and former political prisoners of the communist regime in Germany. The focus is specifically on the large gap in justice for this group of victims in Germany, which has persisted for 32 years.
The perpetrators are better off
The efforts made so far by politicians and institutions are insufficient and completely unacceptable in view of the injustice and serious human rights violations committed in the GDR against the aggrieved parties. The traumatization caused by imprisonment and further serious damage to health due to political imprisonment and forced labor in GDR detention centers have not yet led to full reparations in Germany on the part of those politically responsible. The efforts made so far to remedy the injustice can be described as inadequate.
A culture of remembrance does not take place
The culture of remembrance of the communist dictatorship is a large field of development and is unfortunately limited to Berlin and the former centers of the GDR, and then mostly only to a few outstanding dates, such as November 9. Crime scenes such as MfS detention centers and places of political despotism by the communist regime are only used to a small extent as memorials or places of remembrance for posterity. The educational mandate of the ministries of education in the Länder with regard to the communist regime is severely neglected.
Support only for socially needy victims of the communist dictatorship
Since the reunification of the two German states, the politically injured victims of the communist regime have had to declare themselves as socially needy citizens in order to receive support payments, such as the so-called victims' pensions. Injuries to health must be enforced by the former prisoners themselves in court proceedings that last for years, and they are usually confronted with experts and employees in pension offices who have no knowledge of the political injustice in the GDR. All in all, we believe that this is an unacceptable situation that needs to be changed as quickly as possible. Many traumatized victims of the communist dictatorship have reached retirement age and no longer have the strength or the time of life to enforce their claims in court; a reversal of the burden of proof is urgently needed here.
Tasks of the association
The registered association will act as an umbrella organization and cooperate with political parties, foundations, and political institutions (political centers in the federal states), the victims' representative of the Bundestag, the memorial sites as well as scientists. The goal is a significant improvement in the social situation of the victims' group in Germany and at the same time a much stronger presence on the issues in politics and the media. Among other things, the association is represented on Facebook, Twitter, and its own homepage. The positions, biographies, and contact details are on the website https://www.initiative-fuer-gerechtigkeit-von-sed-opfern.de .
Founders
The members of the board were ransomed from prison by the Federal Republic before the fall of the Berlin Wall and all have remarkable professional and political experience as former CEOs, department heads, former diplomats, local politicians, or former members of state parliaments.
Chairman Mike Mutterlose
Deputy Chairman Dr. Hans D. Ripperger
Treasurer Andrea Rugbarth
Assessor Gundhardt Lässig
Assessor Andreas Hartlep
Contact person for queries:
Mike Mutterlose (Chairman) mutterlose2@aol.com Tel. 0176 - 48008406