Jutta Fleck | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 (age 79–80) |
| Other names | Jutta Gallus "The Woman from Checkpoint Charlie" |
| Occupation | Computer scientist |
| Known for | Attempted escape to West Germany and public demonstrations for the release of her daughters fromEast Germany |
Jutta Fleck (born 1946) is an attempted escapee and former political prisoner of theSocialist Unity Party of Germany. She is known as "The Woman from Checkpoint Charlie". Following a failed attempt to escape from theGerman Democratic Republic (GDR) with her daughters in August 1982, she was imprisoned inHoheneck Women's Prison and, after being deported toWest Germany, spent four years protesting for her daughters' release fromEast Germany.
Jutta Fleck was born inDresden in 1946. She was known as Jutta Gallus by her first marriage. She worked as a computer scientist. After divorcing her husband, she had sole custody of her daughters, Claudia and Beate Gallus. Following her mother's death, Fleck became dissatisfied with the restrictions of living in East Germany and decided to flee with her two daughters.[1]
In August 1982, Jutta Fleck attempted to escape fromEast Germany with her two daughters and the help of a smuggler. UsingWest German passports, they planned to make their escape route from theRomanian town ofSeverin across theDanube to Yugoslavia, and then continue toBad Oeynhausen. This plan was thwarted when Fleck's money and documents were stolen. On 25 August, Fleck attempted to emigrate using a passport issued by theBucharest Embassy of theFederal Republic of Germany. The Romanian official who was responsible for issuing the exit visa had become suspicious. TheSecuritate, the Romanian secret police, arrested them and interrogated them at the airport.[1] Fleck asked a stewardess to call her uncle who was living in West Germany, so that the West German authorities could be informed.[2] On 2 September 1982, they were boarded onto anInterflug aeroplane with tenStasi officials and flown back to the German Democratic Republic. Upon arrival atSchönefeld Airport, Fleck was immediately separated from her daughters without being allowed to say goodbye. Fleck was held in custody for one day at the Ministry for State Security inBerlin, then transferred to the Stasi detention center on Bautzner Strasse in Dresden. It took a four-month wait before a verdict was reached at a hearing on 4 January 1983.[1] Fleck was sentenced to serve three years inHoheneck Women's Prison for attempting to escape from the republic, where she was twice placed in isolation. After about two years, she was freed by the Western authorities through theFederal Ministry for Inner-German Relations.[2] Prior to her deportation to the Federal Republic of Germany, she was transferred with other prisoners in a camouflaged truck toKarl-Marx-Stadt on 17 February 1984 where she was held in detention.[1] Although Fleck was bought out by Western authorities, the deal did not include her daughters, so Fleck began to write to politicians from West Germany to be reunited with her daughters.[3]
Fleck spent six years separated from her two daughters. Her children were initially sent to a children's home near Dresden where their movement was restricted. The two girls were separated from each other and identified by a number rather than by their names. After a few months, their uncle was able to visit them.[4] Their father was given custody of his daughters. He was a staunch supporter of the GDR and told them that Fleck was an enemy of the state. Beate Gallus stated that they were not allowed to make contact.[2] The two children secretly exchanged letters with their mother.[3]
Fleck began to make public demonstrations with the help of theInternational Society for Human Rights to demand for the German Democratic Republic to return her daughters. These demonstrations included standing for six months before the border guards atCheckpoint Charlie border crossing of theBerlin Wall. From 24 October 1984, she spent every day at the border crossing holding a sign that displayed the demand, "Give me back my children". This caught widespread media attention.[3] The author Ines Veith based her book titledThe Woman from Checkpoint Charlie on Fleck, who subsequently became widely known by the name in public. Her campaign also resulted in a meeting with foreign ministerHans-Dietrich Genscher, and an audience withJohn Paul II atSt. Peter's Square in April 1985. Fleck demonstrated in front of theConference on Security and Cooperation in Europe in Helsinki in August 1985 by chaining herself to a railing. She was warned about a potential assassination attempt at a press conference on a ship and consequently did not take part. At the 25th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall, at theReichstag on 13 August 1986, Fleck took an opportune moment to protest in front of a 1,500 live audience and television audience to call upon politicians to help end her separation from her daughters but received no response from chancellorHelmut Kohl.[1]
Claudia and Beate applied for exit visas with the help of German lawyerWolfgang Vogel. Due to widespread media attention, Fleck's campaign was supported byErich Honecker. She was reunited with her two daughters in West Berlin on 25 August 1988.[1] She moved toBavaria, remarried and settled inWiesbaden with her husband and daughter Beate.[2]
In 2009, Fleck was awarded theOrder of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by PresidentHorst Köhler.[5] Fleck and her daughter Beate Gallus gave lectures at various locations, such as at the Bad Liebenzell Civic Center on 12 October 2019, to recount their experiences of life in the GDR.[6][7]
In 2006 a two-part television film titledDie Frau Vom Checkpoint Charlie was released, which was based on Jutta Fleck's life. The film was directed by Miguel Alexandre and starredVeronica Ferres.[8][6]
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