Hunger strike?

Stasi prison April 20, 1985

A slight mishap: our butcher shirts ended up together on the table last night.
So, I guess I’m wearing his today. That would be worst case.

Original Stasi prisoner clothing, butcher shirt with a yellow stripe down the back.

No interrogation today, it’s Saturday.
Breakfast looks different than on the other days.
White breakfast roles, real butter, marmalade, coffee.

“Is this normal?” 
“What do you mean?”
“The other days there was hard rye bread only and margarine.”
“It’s weekend, food is always better on weekends. On public holidays the food is really good. Chicken even.”

What I know from Dirk is that he tried to send a letter to a Bavarian TV station complaining about his rejected emigration request.
At least that is what he claims he did.
Apparently he was together with two more inmates before who moved on after their trial.

One guy tried to cross the border but got caught in preparation. Sentence: 1 year and 8 months.
“What do you think you’ll get?”
“I have no idea. Don’t even know the paragraph.”
“Sending a letter to a West German TV station? Should be §219.”
“What’s that?”
“Unlawfully contacting a foreign power.”
“I thought §214?”
“If you threatened any authority that you will do it, yes, then this comes on top.”

Dirk seems a bit clueless.
Or he acts well enough.
But I don’t think so.

“So what do you think I’ll get?”
“3 years if you are lucky.”
-Silence

Dirk seems shocked.
“Listen. I don’t know ok?!”
“I didn’t threaten them.”
“I didn’t ask details.”
“Will it be less then?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why are you so abrasive?”

Is he just naive or does he try something?

“Look: I don’t know you, I’m dizzy and I’m not a lawyer.”
-Pause
“Why don’t you eat?”
“I told you!”
-Silence

A call boy takes us “outdoors”.
We walk together but are separated as we enter the court yard cells.
So, we share a cell and talk all day but out here we can’t?

“Dirk!”
“SILENCE PRISONER OR YOU WILL GET BACK IN IMMEDIATELY!”

Jeez!

Back inside after our glorious 30 minutes.
“Why do you keep asking me about the hunger strike?”
“Because I think it’s stupid.”
“Care to elaborate?”

“See, you are in here now. You made this first step. It’s done. What do you try to achieve? Hunger strike won’t help the speed of the process nor your health. You have a goal. But you risk it. Your goal is to get to the West healthy right?”
-Silence
“RIGHT?!”

“Shut up!"

*Testimony -> Start. This blog entry is part of a linear narrated testimony of the contemporary witness Jens Thieme who was imprisoned 1985-1986 as a political prisoner in various GDR prisons by the GDR Ministry of State Security. Stasi prison, Stasi jail, Stasi detention.