Benito Corghi

Benito Corghi (26 May 1938 – 5 August 1976) was an Italian long-distance truckdriver, who was a victim of border guards on a border crossing point.

Background

Benito Corghi was an Italian long-distance truckdriver. In the morning of 5 August 1976 he crossed the border crossing at Hirschberg/Rudolphstein at the Bundesautobahn 9 into West Germany. Then he was going back as a pedestrian to pick up papers he forgot on the East German side. This was not allowed. When a guard shouted at him and ordered him to raise his hands, he did not understand, turned around and attempted to walk back, whereupon he was shot.[1]

On the next day, the authorities of the GDR formally apologized for the "tragic accident". It was the only time in GDR history that such a formal apology was issued for a deadly occurrence along the inner-German border.[2]

The shooter was acquitted in 1994 by the District Court (Landgericht) of Gera.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Für Italiener unbegreiflich". Die Zeit. 13 August 1976. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  2. ↑ Muro Berlino, l'italiano ucciso e dimenticato: Benito Corghi, camionista, militante del Pci, ferito a morte nel '76 dai Vopos by Alessandro De Lellis, in Il Messaggero on 8 November 2014
  3. ↑ "Grenzschützen-Prozeß endete mit Freispruch". Berliner Zeitung. 14 May 1994. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
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