THE BIG STASI LEAK – HEROES OR TRAITORS?
In 1992, a list of the names of thousands of former Stasi informants was leaked in Halle – anonymously, illegally and with far-reaching consequences. Now, for the first time, the creators of the list reveal their identity and share their story.
At its peak, the Stasi operated a network of over 200,000 “informal collaborators” across East Germany. These informants secretly gathered information, betraying the trust of neighbours, colleagues, friends and even relatives. Despite the enormity of this injustice, most of the informants’ names have remained shielded to this day, protected by laws safeguarding personal rights. Only on one extraordinary occasion after the fall of the Berlin Wall was a list of 4,500 names published. In 1992, a group of young civil rights activists in the east German city of Halle, who called themselves the Seven Samurai, anonymously leaked the 112-page document to the authorities and media. The city’s population suddenly learned the identities of its informants – politicians, restaurant owners, teachers and athletes. The revelations had far-reaching consequences for exposed individuals, and this unprecedented act sent shockwaves through the newly reunified Germany and beyond. Now, 35 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the group finally reveals its identity and shares its secret story in this gripping political thriller. How far should we go in the name of democracy? Who are the perpetrators, and who are the victims?