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3mo ago

Over 28,000 Requests for Stasi File Access Filed in 2024

Decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, public interest in uncovering DDR surveillance records remains significant, highlighting the ongoing need for historical reckoning.

Overview

  • In 2024, 28,571 applications for access to Stasi files were submitted to Germany's Federal Archives, a slight decrease from 30,696 in 2023.
  • Since 1990, more than 7.5 million requests have been made, with over 3.4 million specifically from private citizens seeking to view their files.
  • The Federal Archives President, Michael Hollmann, described the availability of these records as a 'societal success story' and emphasized the importance of confronting the injustices of the DDR regime.
  • The Stasi files, totaling 111 kilometers of shelf space, were first made accessible after the 1990 occupation of the Stasi headquarters by civilians, marking a global precedent for transparency in secret police archives.
  • In 2021, the Stasi Records Agency was dissolved, and oversight of the files was transferred to the Federal Archives, ensuring continued access for those affected.