Evelyn Zupke, the Federal Commissioner for victims of the SED dictatorship, is advocating for faster and easier access to Stasi files amidst the ongoing process of addressing the injustices of the SED regime. Zupke stated to the Funke media group that victims should not be forced to wait months just because authorities have to wait for documents from archives. She asserted that it is a matter of democracy to grant the persecuted individuals access to this chapter of their history.
According to Zupke, the German Bundestag has already passed numerous measures to support victims of the SED dictatorship. She reports that since these improvements were implemented, the number of applications for access to the Stasi files has increased. These files remain the crucial key for proving political injustice and legally acknowledging personal persecution, which in turn is a prerequisite for support benefits, such as the victim’s pension.
Zupke noted that it can take decades for some people to gather the courage to read their Stasi file, a process made unbearable when the records reveal who within their closest family or social circle was spying or betraying them. While the perpetrators remained silent, the files spoke, Zupke said. She emphasized that it is these documents that allow for the rehabilitation of political prisoners and provide concrete proof of the extent of SED governmental interference in people’s lives.
The Federal Commissioner added that the suffering of the victims has not ended with the Fall of the Wall and German reunification. For many, the ramifications of the dictatorship have defined their lives, encompassing trauma from political detention, physical harm resulting from forced labor, and experiences of violence and harsh discipline in specialized children’s homes and youth correctional facilities.
Zupke praised the preservation of the Stasi files, noting that it is a major achievement of the Peaceful Revolution. These documents provide concrete evidence of the nature of a dictatorship: they monitor citizens, destroy trust even within the closest relationships, and reduce people to mere objects of state control.
Regarding the request statistics, the Federal Archives reported that applications to the Stasi File Archive declined from 56,526 in 2019 to 37,407 in 2020, and then to 30,603 in 2021. Following that period, the figures remained largely stable, reaching 31,120 in 2025. Furthermore, the archive stated that the first half of this year saw 16,186 applications, suggesting an annual total exceeding 32,000.
