Bärbel Bohley (24 May 1945 – 11 September 2010) was an

East German East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

opposition figure and artist.

Biography

As an artist, Bohley won prizes from the authorities, including a trip to the Soviet Union. Her opposition to the government did not start until the 1980s. In 1983 she was expelled from the GDR artists federation (VBK) and was banned from travelling abroad or exhibiting her work in East Germany. She was accused of having contacts to the

West German West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic after its capital c ...

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

. In 1985 she was one of the co-founders of the

Initiative for Peace and Human Rights The Initiative for Peace and Human Rights () was the oldest opposition group in East Germany. It was founded on 24 January 1986 and was independent of the churches and state. On 7 February 1990 it joined with New Forum and Democracy Now (East Germ ...

. In 1988 she was arrested during a demonstration and expelled from the DDR. She was given a six-month visa to the United Kingdom, and she returned to East Germany that August. In 1989 she was one of the founders of

New Forum New Forum () was a political movement in East Germany formed in the months leading up to the collapse of the East German state. It was founded on 9 September 1989 and was the first independent (non- National Front) political movement to be rec ...

. After the unification of Germany in 1990 she was involved in several court trials because she publicly proclaimed

Gregor Gysi Gregor Florian Gysi (; born 16 January 1948) is a German attorney, former president of the Party of the European Left and a prominent politician of The Left () political party. He belonged to the reformist wing of the governing Socialist Unity ...

to have been a

Stasi The Ministry for State Security (, ; abbreviated MfS), commonly known as the (, an abbreviation of ), was the Intelligence agency, state security service and secret police of East Germany from 1950 to 1990. It was one of the most repressive pol ...

informer. Bohley spent several days in prison because she would neither publicly retract the statement nor pay a fine. One of her later projects was a group help project near

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

, where she put great effort into building homes in order to enable refugees to return after the armed conflicts in

Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north a ...

. Bärbel Bohley died on 11 September 2010 of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

Selected works

* "'Es gibt keine wichtigen und unwichtigen Menschen in der Revolution' – 20 Jahre Mauerfall", in: Robertson-von Trotha, Caroline Y. (eds): ''Herausforderung Demokratie. Demokratisch, parlamentarisch, gut?'' (= Kulturwissenschaft interdisziplinär/Interdisciplinary Studies on Culture and Society, Vol. 6), Baden-Baden 2011

References

External links

Biography
1945 births 2010 deaths Deaths from lung cancer in Germany East German dissidents German contemporary artists Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Prisoners and detainees of East Germany Burials at the Dorotheenstadt Cemetery {{Germany-artist-stub

Biography

Selected works

See also

References

External links