The Office of the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic (Bundesbeauftragte für die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik) began to work in its present form on December 29th, 1991. That was possible due to the adoption and enforcement on that day of an act on the records of the state security service of the former German Democratic Republic (Stasi Records Act). This piece of law defines the purpose and scope of activities of the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic. The act also regulates the custody, preparation, administration and use of the records of the Ministry for State Security of the former German Democratic Republic. The activities of the Federal Commissioner are to allow for the access to personal data enabling citizens to assess what influence the state security service had on his personal destiny; protect the individual from impairment of his right to privacy being caused by use of the personal data stored by the State Security Service; ensure and promote the historical, political and jurdicial reappraisal of the activities of the State Security Service; and to provide public and private bodies with access to the information required to achieve the purposes stated in the act.
Ms. Marianne Birthler is the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic. The Office of the Federal Commissioner consists of the main headquarters as well as 14 branch offices placed on the territory of the former German Democratic Republic. The Office employs altogether approximately 2650 people both in its main and branch offices. Three basic departments constitute the structural basis of the Office of the Federal Commissioner: Department of Information, Department of Education and Research as well as the Department of Archives. So far 1,8 million people requested for the access to their files. Out of this number 80% of the people received answers to their requests. Ms. Marianne Birthler is the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic.
The Institute of National Remembrance co-operates with the Office of the Federal Commissioner for the Records of the State Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic since 2000. In March 2002 Ms. Birthler paid a visit to Warsaw.
On June 7, 2005 in Warsaw Prof. Leon Kieres and Ms. Marianne Birthler signed the Co-operation Agreement between the Institute of National Remembrance - Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation and the Federal Representative for the Documents of the National Security Services of the former DDR.
The agreement provides for the frames of co-operation in the fields of scientific research and education. This co-operation comprises mutual research programs and mutual assistance in dissemination of the results of scientific research, organization of seminars and conferences, and mutual edition of historic documents. Co-operation in the field of documentation shall comprise, in particular, exchange of information about the archive inventory of the contractual parties, exchange of experience in the field of the collection, processing, dissemination and preservation of the documents, and exchange of information about archival resources of the contractual parties.
The Institute of National Remembrance co-operates as well with other German institutes. The Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv) and the Central Office for the Prosecution of Nationalist-Socialist Crimes in Ludwigsburg (Centrale Stelle). Both institutes have been very useful in providing assistance in terms of archival exchange and co-operation in the area of investigations.
Bundesarchiv, the German Federal Archives, takes over documents that were produced in the German central offices up to the year 1945, the documents from the German occupation zones from the years 1945-1949, former DDR (1949-1990) and the Federal Republic of Germany (since 1949). Additionally, the Federal Archives has taken over the responsibilities of the German Federal Film Archives.
The main responsibility of the German Federal Archives is to assess the documents' historical value and ensure their arrangement and safe preservation. On the basis of the archival records Bundesarchive provides information to the interested people.
| 2 |
16 August 2006
|
|