Erich Mielke
born 28 Dezember 1907 Berlin
Grammar school in Berlin; between 1924-27 training and work as forwarding agent, in 1927 German Communist Party (KPD); 1928-31 local journalist for the "Rote Fahne" and member of the party self-protection unit; in 1931 flight to the USSR (after the murder of two policemen); in June 1934 sentenced to death in absence; 1934 - 35 training as military political lecturer at the Lenin school, 1936-39 soldier with the International Brigade in Spain; March 1939 - May 1940 in Belgium, interned in France from May 1940 - April 1941; 1944 member of the Organisation Todt; in 1945 return to Berlin; 1945 - 46 KPD/SED; head of the Inspectorate of the People's Police; head of the Department of Police and Jurisdiction at the Central Committee (Zentralkomitee) of the KPD; 1950-89 member of the Central Committee of the SED;1950 - 53 secretary of state in the Ministry for State Security (MfS); later deputy secretary of state and deputyminister for State Security, from 1957 minister for State Security, member of the People's Chamber (Volkskammer); member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the SED; army general, on 7th Nov. 1989 resignation as minister with the Stoph government, 17th Nov. 1989 annulment of the mandate of Member of Parliament, exclusion from the Central Committee and SED, from 7th Dec. 1989 in custody (with a short interruption in March 1990), sentenced on 26th Oct. 1993 to six years imprisonment for the murders of the policemen in 1931; not imprisonrd due to ill health.
