Vera Lengsfeld

Overview

Vera Lengsfeld born Sondershausen, Thuringia, Germany May 4, 1952. Civil rights activist; politician. As peacemaker, co-founded Pankow Peace Circle, a nonviolent resistance organization opposed to the East German regime, 1981. Expelled from Socialist Unity Party for protesting the housing of Soviet nuclear warheads in East Germany. Arrested and detained by the Stasi for carrying sign quoting East German constitution ("Every citizen has the right to express his opinion freely and openly"), 1988; deported for one year. 15-year member of Reichstag, 1990-2005. Awarded Aachen Peace Prize, 1990. Protested the Gulf War, 1991.