IM Schubert
Encyclopedia
Holm Singer is a former East German Stasi
informant who betrayed local church officials. He worked from 1980 till 1989 for the East German secret police under the pseudonym IM “Schubert”. (IM stands for “inoffizieller Mitarbeiter”, civilian informant.)
In March 2008 Singer has won an interim injunction
to prevent an exhibition in Reichenbach from including his name and clandestine activities. On April, 22 he “lost a legal bid to keep his identity from being made public” and the injunction was cancelled. The judicial process nevertheless continued and Singer′s case was widely discussed in German media.
In March 2010 the court finally decided that the exhibition maker can make the real name of “IM Schubert” public. “The activity of the IM, who had repeatedly admitted his past deeds”, said the acting judge, was “of historical interest”.
Stasi
The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security The Ministry for State Security (German: Ministerium für Staatssicherheit (MfS), commonly known as the Stasi (abbreviation , literally State Security), was the official state security service of East Germany. The MfS was headquartered...
informant who betrayed local church officials. He worked from 1980 till 1989 for the East German secret police under the pseudonym IM “Schubert”. (IM stands for “inoffizieller Mitarbeiter”, civilian informant.)
In March 2008 Singer has won an interim injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
to prevent an exhibition in Reichenbach from including his name and clandestine activities. On April, 22 he “lost a legal bid to keep his identity from being made public” and the injunction was cancelled. The judicial process nevertheless continued and Singer′s case was widely discussed in German media.
In March 2010 the court finally decided that the exhibition maker can make the real name of “IM Schubert” public. “The activity of the IM, who had repeatedly admitted his past deeds”, said the acting judge, was “of historical interest”.
Further reading
- Berhard Honnigfort: “Damals Spitzel, heute Opfer?”, Frankfurter Rundschau, March 26, 2008.
- Reiner Burger: “Nichts als die Wahrheit”, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, July 5, 2008.
External links
- Chris Humbs, Peter Grimm: “Geschützte Stasi-Spitzel – Enttarnung verboten” (ARDARD (broadcaster)ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
-Kontraste, March 20, 2008) - “E.German Stasi informant wins battle to conceal past” (Reuters, March 25, 2008)
- “Fear of the Stasi Lives On in Eastern Germany” (Spiegel online, April 7, 2008)
- “Anwalt des früheren ‘IM Schubert’ kündigt Klage an” (Tagesspiegel, April 9, 2008)
- “Stasi-spion: toch geen recht op privacy” (Algemeen Dagblad, April 22, 2008)
- “Stasi informant loses court privacy battle” (The Local, April 22, 2008)
- “Weiter Debatte um Namensnennung von Stasi-IM” (MDR television, September 6, 2008)
- Reiner Burger: “Vorbei, vergangen, vergessen?” (faz.net, December 21, 2008)
- Thomas Voigt: “Stachel des Unrechts sitzt noch tief. Reichenbacher Opfer des ehemaligen DDR-Ministeriums für Staatssicherheit stellen sich Podiumsdiskussion” (Freie Presse, May 21, 2009)