Overview

• Die Linke’s state chairman Bjoern Tielebein announced Baltruschat’s passing from his Marzahn home and highlighted his lifelong dedication to combating far-right extremism.
• In February 1997, Kay Diesner attacked Baltruschat in his Marzahn bookstore with a pump-action shotgun, resulting in the amputation of his left arm and loss of a right-hand finger.
• Diesner was convicted of murdering a police officer during his arrest, served 19 years at JVA Lübeck and was released in June 2016 after renouncing neo-Nazi ideology.
• Baltruschat continued running his bookshop from Die Linke’s Marzahn office until his death and famously urged “Wenn man die Faschisten gewähren lässt, greifen sie zum Gewehr.”
• His death has prompted renewed reflection on the enduring consequences of right-wing violence and the challenges of balancing offender rehabilitation with accountability.