Dissident faces unlawful assembly charge

Press, 28 January 1988, Page 6

Dissident faces unlawful assembly charge

NZPA-Reuter East Berlin East Germany, widening its net to scoop up seven more dissidents in the provinces, is expected to put a woman activist and former Communist Party member on trial in East Berlin today. A Protestant Church lawyer, Wolfgang Schnur, told a packed meeting that he would see a dissident, Vera Wollenberger, before the trial begins in Lichtenberg District Court in East Berlin. She is expected to face charges of unlawful assembly, punishable by up to eight years jail for ringleaders. Church sources said two people were detained in Leipzig and five in Weimar, the first known arrests outside the capital. They said Church services were being held in an increasing number of provincial towns in solidarity. Vera Wolfenberger, a one-time Communist Party member who helped found a Churchaffiliated peace and human rights group, is one of ten dissidents in investigative custody.

She was detained 10 days ago with a group of up 200 activists, mostly would-be emigrants, who tried to join on to an official march in memory of two German revolutionaries and hoist their own banners. Most have since been freed and about 60, as well as family members, have been allowed to leave for West Germany. Five would-be emigrants were jailed for up to a year, but have lodged appeals. On Monday, after most of the emigrants had gone, security police swooped on six key dissidents and began investigating some of the total of 10 on suspicion of treason, ai crime which carries a jail term of up to five years, k Among Yfeos? -/ctq'ng possible treason charges, are a prominent songwriter, Stephan Krawczyk, and his wife, Freya Klier, a theatre producer, who together toured the country putting on song and drama shows in churches despite a ban on public performances.