CONTINUED TO OPERATE IT AFTER THE WALL CAME DOWN.
THE WALL CAME DOWN. WE WENT BACK TO TAKE A LOOK
WE WENT BACK TO TAKE A LOOK INSIDE THAT PRISON.
INSIDE THAT PRISON. >> Reporter: THIS IS THE
>> Reporter: THIS IS THE INFAMOUS PRISON IN EAST GERMANY.
INFAMOUS PRISON IN EAST GERMANY. IT’S WHERE THEY PUT POLITICAL
IT’S WHERE THEY PUT POLITICAL PRISONERS IN THIS COUNTRY.
PRISONERS IN THIS COUNTRY. IN EFFECT, GERMANS WERE
IN EFFECT, GERMANS WERE IMPRISONING OTHER GERMANS
IMPRISONING OTHER GERMANS BECAUSE THEY WERE RESISTING
BECAUSE THEY WERE RESISTING COMMUNIST RULE AND THIS PLACE IS
COMMUNIST RULE AND THIS PLACE IS STILL GOING WHEN THE WALL CAME
STILL GOING WHEN THE WALL CAME DOWN.
DOWN. IT WAS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN
IT WAS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN THIS COUNTRY A SIGHT OF GREAT
THIS COUNTRY A SIGHT OF GREAT HORROR BECAUSE THEY KNEW IF THEY
HORROR BECAUSE THEY KNEW IF THEY TRIED TO ESCAPE OR IF THEY
TRIED TO ESCAPE OR IF THEY PUSHED BACK AGAINST THE REGIME,
PUSHED BACK AGAINST THE REGIME, THIS IS WHERE THEY’D END UP.
THIS IS WHERE THEY’D END UP. NOW IT’S JUST ABANDONED BUT
NOW IT’S JUST ABANDONED BUT THEY’RE GOING TO KEEP IT AS AN
THEY’RE GOING TO KEEP IT AS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE IS POLITICAL TYRANNY IN
THERE IS POLITICAL TYRANNY IN ONE COUNTRY HOWEVER IT MAY BE
ONE COUNTRY HOWEVER IT MAY BE DIVIDED BY OTHER COUNTRIES.
DIVIDED BY OTHER COUNTRIES. >> IT WAS SOMETHING OF A RUMOR.
>> IT WAS SOMETHING OF A RUMOR. EVERYONE WAS FRIGHTENED BUT
EVERYONE WAS FRIGHTENED BUT NOBODY KNEW WHAT IT WAS.
NOBODY KNEW WHAT IT WAS. >> Reporter: YOU WERE CAUGHT
>> Reporter: YOU WERE CAUGHT TRYING TO ESCAPE TO ZEK LOW
TRYING TO ESCAPE TO ZEK LOW CZECHOSLOVAKIA.
CZECHOSLOVAKIA. AT THE TIME THEY CAUGHT YOU,
AT THE TIME THEY CAUGHT YOU, WERE YOU FRIGHTENED?
WERE YOU FRIGHTENED? >> IT ALL STARTED BECAUSE THEY
>> IT ALL STARTED BECAUSE THEY ASKED IF I COULD SHOW MY RETURN
ASKED IF I COULD SHOW MY RETURN TICKET.
TICKET. MY PLAN WAS TO GO TO
MY PLAN WAS TO GO TO CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND NEVER RETURN
CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND NEVER RETURN TO EAST GERMANY.
TO EAST GERMANY. THEY CALLED THE POLICE.
THEY CALLED THE POLICE. THE POLICE CAME TO THE TRAIN.
THE POLICE CAME TO THE TRAIN. THEY EVEN CALLED THE MILITARY
THEY EVEN CALLED THE MILITARY POLICE.
POLICE. THEN I STARTED PANICKING.
THEN I STARTED PANICKING. THEN THEY PICKED ME UP FROM THE
THEN THEY PICKED ME UP FROM THE TRAIN, TOOK ME IN A LITTLE HOUSE
TRAIN, TOOK ME IN A LITTLE HOUSE AND STARTED QUESTIONING AND THE
AND STARTED QUESTIONING AND THE ONLY QUESTION I HEARD IS, DO YOU
ONLY QUESTION I HEARD IS, DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE OUR QUESTION
WANT TO LEAVE OUR QUESTION LEGALLY?
LEGALLY? MY ANSWER WAS NO ALL THE TIME.
MY ANSWER WAS NO ALL THE TIME. AFTER ALMOST 40 HOURS, WITHOUT
AFTER ALMOST 40 HOURS, WITHOUT ENOUGH WATER TO DRINK, NO
ENOUGH WATER TO DRINK, NO OPPORTUNITY, I SAID, YES, I WANT
OPPORTUNITY, I SAID, YES, I WANT TO STAY AND I ENDED UP IN THE
TO STAY AND I ENDED UP IN THE STASI PRISON.
STASI PRISON. .
. >> Reporter: SO, THIS IS A CELL?
>> Reporter: SO, THIS IS A CELL? >> YES.
>> YES. AS YOU CAN SEE, YOU CAN ONLY
AS YOU CAN SEE, YOU CAN ONLY DISTINGUISH DAY AND NIGHT.
DISTINGUISH DAY AND NIGHT. YOU CAN’T LOOK OUT.
YOU CAN’T LOOK OUT. THE GLASS REFLECTS THE VIEW OUT.
THE GLASS REFLECTS THE VIEW OUT. THERE WERE NO OPPORTUNITIES TO
THERE WERE NO OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK OR TO DO SOMETHING.
WORK OR TO DO SOMETHING. JUST LAID THE WHOLE DAY.
JUST LAID THE WHOLE DAY. YOU WERE NOT ALLOWED TO LIE ON
YOU WERE NOT ALLOWED TO LIE ON THE BED.
THE BED. YOU HAD TO FOLD THE MATTRESSES
YOU HAD TO FOLD THE MATTRESSES AND THE COVER AND EVERYTHING UP
AND THE COVER AND EVERYTHING UP AND YOU WERE ALLOWED TO TAKE A
AND YOU WERE ALLOWED TO TAKE A SEAT OR TO STAND.
SEAT OR TO STAND. SO, YOU COULD TAKE A SEAT THERE.
SO, YOU COULD TAKE A SEAT THERE. YOU COULD SIT ON THE BED.
YOU COULD SIT ON THE BED. YOU COULD STAND IN THE CELL.
YOU COULD STAND IN THE CELL. YOU COULD MOVE AROUND, YOU COULD
YOU COULD MOVE AROUND, YOU COULD WALK.
WALK. AT NIGHTTIME YOU WERE FORCED TO
AT NIGHTTIME YOU WERE FORCED TO LIE ON THE BED.
LIE ON THE BED. FACING THE CEILING.
FACING THE CEILING. AND HANDS OR ARMS ON THE COVER.
AND HANDS OR ARMS ON THE COVER. THAT WAS THE SLEEPING POSITION.
THAT WAS THE SLEEPING POSITION. >> Reporter: THEY WERE DANGEROUS
>> Reporter: THEY WERE DANGEROUS TO THE STATE BUT THEY WERE NOT
TO THE STATE BUT THEY WERE NOT DANGEROUS PEOPLE IN A LOT OF
DANGEROUS PEOPLE IN A LOT OF WAYS, WERE THEY?
WAYS, WERE THEY? >> NO, I DON’T THINK --
>> NO, I DON’T THINK -- >> Reporter: THEY WERE NOT
>> Reporter: THEY WERE NOT VIOLENT PEOPLE.
VIOLENT PEOPLE. >> NO, NOT AT ALL.
>> NO, NOT AT ALL. >> Reporter: THEY WANTED TO
>> Reporter: THEY WANTED TO CHANGE THE SYSTEM.
CHANGE THE SYSTEM. THEY WANTED TO PROVE THE SYSTEM.
THEY WANTED TO PROVE THE SYSTEM. SO ANYTHING WAS ASSUMED BEING
SO ANYTHING WAS ASSUMED BEING AGAINST THE STATE, YOU KNOW.
AGAINST THE STATE, YOU KNOW. TODAY WE ARE ALL LIVING IN A
TODAY WE ARE ALL LIVING IN A DEMOCRACY BUT DEMOCRACY IS A
DEMOCRACY BUT DEMOCRACY IS A WEAK LITTLE FLOWER, SO TO SAY.
WEAK LITTLE FLOWER, SO TO SAY. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO LET YOUNG
YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO LET YOUNG PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IT MEANS NOT TO
PEOPLE KNOW WHAT IT MEANS NOT TO LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY.
LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY. YEAH, TO DEFEND THE DEMOCRACY,
YEAH, TO DEFEND THE DEMOCRACY, YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING.
YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING. AND I GUESS TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED
AND I GUESS TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED IN DICTATORSHIP, FROM MY POINT
IN DICTATORSHIP, FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, WAS A WAY TO LET THEM
OF VIEW, WAS A WAY TO LET THEM THINK AND I HOPE THEY APPRECIATE
