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{{Short description|German politician (born 1966)}}
'''Lutz Heilmann''' (born ], ] in ]) is a member of the German Parliament, the ], for the ]<ref>]: '''', p. 149</ref> party ]. Following his election in ], strong controversy erupted when it was revealed by the magazine '']'' that he had worked for the ] (the ] secret service) from ] to ].<ref>, 4 December 2005. {{de icon}}</ref> Heilmann only left Stasi after it was dissolved following the fall of the communist regime. Heilmann narrowly survived an impeachment by the party electorate following his untruthfulness about his Stasi career prior to becoming ].
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{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Lutz Heilmann
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| caption =
| constituency_MP = Schleswig-Holstein
| parliament = German
| majority =
| term_start = ]
| term_end = 2009
| predecessor =
| successor =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|09|07|df=y}}
| birth_place = ], ]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| restingplace =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| birthname =
| nationality =
| party = ]
| otherparty = ] (1986&ndash;1989)<br />] (1989&ndash;1990)<br />] (1990&ndash;1992; 2000&ndash;2005)<br />] (2005&ndash;2007)<ref name="heilmann"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209043645/http://www.lutz-heilmann.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=247&Itemid=71 |date=2008-12-09 }}. Retrieved 21 November 2008. {{in lang|de}}</ref>
| spouse =
| partner =
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| profession = Stasi employee (1985&ndash;1990)<br />Cashier at filling station and carpet salesman (1991&ndash;2004)<br />Articled clerk (2005)
| cabinet =
| committees =
| portfolio =
| religion =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}


'''Lutz Heilmann''' (born 7 September 1966 in ], ]) is a German politician of the ] party ]. He was elected to the ] in the ] as a member of the party list in ]. Shortly thereafter it was revealed that he had worked for the ] (the ] ]) from 1985 to 1990. Heilmann drew national and international media attention when he caused the website <code>www.wikipedia.de</code> (not the ], but a search portal for it run by ]) to be blocked by a ] on 13 November 2008.<ref>, '' Le Monde'', 17 November 2008. {{in lang|fr}}</ref><ref>, ''Miami Herald'', 17 November 2008.</ref> His Bundestag term ended in 2009, and he failed to be nominated for a second term.
He became a member of the communist party of the ], the ], at a time the party was still hardline ], in ], and has remained a member of its successor parties (], ], ] and now ]), although he left the party in 1992 and rejoined in 2000.


==Revelation of Stasi work==
Heilmann is the only official full-time Stasi employee to be elected MP to the Bundestag (although several other Die Linke politicians have been "unofficial" Stasi informants<ref>, in '']'', September 24, 2005</ref>).


Following his election in 2005, strong controversy erupted when it was revealed by the magazine '']'' that he had worked for the ] (the ] secret police) from 1985 to 1990.<ref name="Stasi3">, 4 December 2005. {{in lang|de}}</ref> Heilmann is the only official full-time Stasi employee to be elected MP to the Bundestag; although several other Die Linke politicians have been "unofficial" Stasi informants.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-kurier/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/2005/0924/seite1/0011/index.html|title=Birthler: Linksfraktion ist stasiverseucht|work=]|date=24 September 2005|accessdate=4 July 2010|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208061121/http://www.berlinonline.de/berliner-kurier/archiv/.bin/dump.fcgi/2005/0924/seite1/0011/index.html|archive-date=8 December 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Legal proceedings against ''Wikimedia Deutschland''==

On November 13, 2008, he pressed charges against ''Wikimedia Deutschland e.V.'', causing a preliminary injunction which bars the internet address <code>www.wikipedia.de</code> (which is controlled by ''Wikimedia Deutschland'') from linking to <code>de.wikipedia.org</code> (controlled by the U.S.-based '']'') as long as certain information about him is included in the ] in the article ]. He also took legal action against three Misplaced Pages users who had worked on the article. According to '']'', Heilman objected to claims that he had not completed his university degree, and that he had participated in business venture involving pornography. The report also suggests that the Misplaced Pages article had been repeatedly altered in line with his claims by an anonymous user operating within the Bundestag building, but Heilmann denied having been involved in an edit war.<ref>, 15 November 2008. {{de icon}}</ref>
Heilmann narrowly survived an impeachment by the party electorate following his untruthfulness about his Stasi career prior to becoming a ].<ref name="Stasi3" />

Heilmann worked in the so-called "] Personenschutz" department of Stasi, a large and important department within the Stasi that was directly subordinated under ]. The department was responsible for "personal security", but also took part in regular oppression activities and employed informants.<ref>, '']'', November 16, 2008</ref> His employment record at Stasi states that Heilmann joined the Stasi because of political motivation and that he identified with his work and saw his future as a Stasi employee.<ref name="Stasi3" /> He left Stasi after it was dissolved following the fall of the communist regime.

The nomination of Lutz Heilmann as an MP by the Left Party has been strongly criticized by ], the director of the ]. Knabe stated that Heilmann "has no business being in parliament", and said it is "unacceptable for the victims of the ] communist regime to imagine that a man with such a past should serve in a parliament".<ref name="Stasi3" />

==Work history==

He attended law school from 1992 to 2004, obtaining an undergraduate law degree ('']'') in 2004. During this time, he worked as a cashier at a ] and as a carpet salesman.<ref name="heilmann" /> After a period of being unemployed (2004–2005) he obtained a position as ] (''Rechtsreferendar'') at the Landgericht (an intermediate court) in ]<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923031713/http://www.bundestag.de/bundestag/abgeordnete/bio/H/heilmlu0.html |date=2009-09-23 }}. {{in lang|de}}</ref> which he quit after being elected to the Bundestag. In November 2009, he returned to his job as a clerk.

==Political activities==

He became a member of the communist party of the ], the ] (SED) in 1986, and has remained a member of its successor parties (], ], ] and now ]), although he left the party in 1992 and rejoined in 2000.

Heilmann, who was previously married,<ref>, ''HL-Live'', 1 August 2005. {{in lang|de}}</ref> has organized participation of the party's queer group at ]s.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206063250/http://www.lutz-heilmann.info/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=68&Itemid=70 |date=2008-12-06 }}. Retrieved 21 November 2008. {{in lang|de}}</ref>

In the Bundestag, his main activity has focused on transportation policy favoring the environment. He argued for an increase in the ] and against a proposed waiver of the ] for new cars.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206144257/http://www.linksfraktion.de/mdb_heilmann.php |date=2008-12-06 }}, page at ''Die Linke''. Retrieved 20 November 2008. {{in lang|de}}</ref>

He has been involved in a fight within ''Die Linke'', trying to get Lübeck party boss ] expelled from the party. Four-year-old photographs showing Lüttke at a party celebrating ]'s birthday were obtained by a ] newspaper in October 2008.<ref name=taz/><ref name=lz/>

In 2009 he failed to be nominated again as a Bundestag candidate.

==Lawsuit against ''Wikimedia Deutschland''==

]

On 13 November 2008, Heilmann pressed charges against ''Wikimedia Deutschland e.V.'' at the Landgericht Lübeck, obtaining a preliminary injunction which barred the internet address <code>www.wikipedia.de</code> (which is controlled by ''Wikimedia Deutschland'') from linking to <code>de.wikipedia.org</code> (controlled by the U.S.-based '']'') as long as certain information about him is included in the ] in the article ]. Heilmann also filed legal complaints against one Misplaced Pages editor and two other online writers.

According to '']'', Heilmann objected to claims that he had not completed his university degree, and that he had participated in a business venture involving pornography. He did however admit that he had served as "youth protection officer" for an internet sex shop run by a roommate.<ref name=taz>, ''taz'', 22 October 2008. {{in lang|de}}</ref> The report also suggests that the Misplaced Pages article had been repeatedly altered in line with his claims by an anonymous user operating within the Bundestag building, but Heilmann denied having been involved in an ].<ref>, 15 November 2008. {{in lang|de}}</ref>

In October 2008, some German newspapers reported that Heilmann was under investigation for having threatened a former roommate and that the committee on immunity of the ''Bundestag'' had lifted his ] in the matter.<ref name=lz> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226194752/http://www.ln-online.de/regional/luebeck/2483084/Schmutzkampagne_in_der_Linken%3A_Jetzt_ger%C3%A4%3Bt_Heilmann_unter_Beschuss.htm |date=2009-02-26 }}, ''Lübecker Nachrichten'', 21 October 2008. {{in lang|de}}</ref> Heilmann denied this and had a counter statement published.<ref> by Heilman, ''HL-live.de'', 22 October 2008. {{in lang|de}}</ref> (According to '']'' charges were filed due to attempted coercion ("versuchte Nötigung").<ref name="taz"/> Heilmann's response fits this explanation as he states that the committee on immunity of the ''Bundestag'' has dealt on 17 October with the matter in question related to short messages he sent to his former roommate.) This matter was reported in Heilmann's Misplaced Pages article.<ref>, ''Heise Online'', 15 November 2008. {{in lang|de}}</ref> This claim, as well as claims that he had withheld parts of his Stasi records, were also cited by Heilmann as reasons for his action against ''Wikimedia Deutschland''.<ref>, ''Tagesschau'', 16 November 2008. {{in lang|de}}</ref>

After some statements were removed from his German Misplaced Pages article and after major media coverage, Heilmann announced on 16 November that he would drop the legal proceedings against ''Wikimedia Deutschland'', regretting that many uninvolved users of the encyclopedia had been affected.<ref>{{cite news |title=German Misplaced Pages back online after dispute |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iW0TBbEmwqOmYbS2BIzofSoIeyUgD94GQCG80 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208193305/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iW0TBbEmwqOmYbS2BIzofSoIeyUgD94GQCG80 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 8, 2008 |quote=The German-language portal to the Internet encyclopedia Misplaced Pages was back online Monday after a left-wing lawmaker dropped a legal complaint. |agency=] |year=2008 |accessdate=2008-11-18 }}</ref> He vowed to continue his pursuit of the Misplaced Pages editor who had originally added the allegedly offensive material.<ref>, ''Heise online'', 16 November 2008. {{in lang|de}}</ref>

Heilmann later made a public statement on his actions against Misplaced Pages. "I didn't think it through and didn't anticipate the consequences," he admitted.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lawmaker apologizes for blocking Misplaced Pages |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE4AI7NB20081119?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=69 |work=] |accessdate=2008-11-20 | date=19 November 2008}}</ref> Wikimedia Germany reported that on the Saturday of the blocking it had received record donations of €16,000, compared to €3,000 on an average day.<ref>, ''Manager Magazin'', 16 November 2008. {{in lang|de}}</ref>

== See also ==

* ], another politician of ''Die Linke'' who initiated proceedings against Misplaced Pages


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist}} {{Reflist|2}}


==External links==
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heilmann, Lutz}}
* , official page at ''Die Linke'', listing his speeches, legislative initiatives and press releases. {{in lang|de}}
]
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080205093308/http://www.lutz-heilmann.info/ |date=2008-02-05 }} {{in lang|de}}
]
* , containing the offending statements. {{in lang|de}}


] {{DEFAULTSORT:Heilmann, Lutz}}
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Latest revision as of 21:37, 29 November 2024

German politician (born 1966)
Lutz Heilmann
Member of the German Parliament
for Schleswig-Holstein
In office
2005–2009
Personal details
Born (1966-09-07) 7 September 1966 (age 58)
Zittau, East Germany
Political partyDie Linke
Other political
affiliations		SED (1986–1989)
SED-PDS (1989–1990)
PDS (1990–1992; 2000–2005)
Die Linkspartei.PDS (2005–2007)
ProfessionStasi employee (1985–1990)
Cashier at filling station and carpet salesman (1991–2004)
Articled clerk (2005)

Lutz Heilmann (born 7 September 1966 in Zittau, East Germany) is a German politician of the left-wing party Die Linke. He was elected to the Bundestag in the 2005 federal election as a member of the party list in Schleswig-Holstein. Shortly thereafter it was revealed that he had worked for the Stasi (the East German secret police) from 1985 to 1990. Heilmann drew national and international media attention when he caused the website www.wikipedia.de (not the German Misplaced Pages, but a search portal for it run by Wikimedia Deutschland) to be blocked by a preliminary injunction on 13 November 2008. His Bundestag term ended in 2009, and he failed to be nominated for a second term.

Revelation of Stasi work

Following his election in 2005, strong controversy erupted when it was revealed by the magazine Der Spiegel that he had worked for the Stasi (the East German secret police) from 1985 to 1990. Heilmann is the only official full-time Stasi employee to be elected MP to the Bundestag; although several other Die Linke politicians have been "unofficial" Stasi informants.

Heilmann narrowly survived an impeachment by the party electorate following his untruthfulness about his Stasi career prior to becoming a MP.

Heilmann worked in the so-called "Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung Personenschutz" department of Stasi, a large and important department within the Stasi that was directly subordinated under Erich Mielke. The department was responsible for "personal security", but also took part in regular oppression activities and employed informants. His employment record at Stasi states that Heilmann joined the Stasi because of political motivation and that he identified with his work and saw his future as a Stasi employee. He left Stasi after it was dissolved following the fall of the communist regime.

The nomination of Lutz Heilmann as an MP by the Left Party has been strongly criticized by Hubertus Knabe, the director of the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial. Knabe stated that Heilmann "has no business being in parliament", and said it is "unacceptable for the victims of the GDR communist regime to imagine that a man with such a past should serve in a parliament".

Work history

He attended law school from 1992 to 2004, obtaining an undergraduate law degree (Diplom-Jurist) in 2004. During this time, he worked as a cashier at a filling station and as a carpet salesman. After a period of being unemployed (2004–2005) he obtained a position as articled clerk (Rechtsreferendar) at the Landgericht (an intermediate court) in Lübeck which he quit after being elected to the Bundestag. In November 2009, he returned to his job as a clerk.

Political activities

He became a member of the communist party of the German Democratic Republic, the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in 1986, and has remained a member of its successor parties (SED-PDS, PDS, Die Linkspartei.PDS and now Die Linke), although he left the party in 1992 and rejoined in 2000.

Heilmann, who was previously married, has organized participation of the party's queer group at Christopher Street Days.

In the Bundestag, his main activity has focused on transportation policy favoring the environment. He argued for an increase in the LKW-Maut and against a proposed waiver of the motor vehicle tax for new cars.

He has been involved in a fight within Die Linke, trying to get Lübeck party boss Ragnar Lüttke expelled from the party. Four-year-old photographs showing Lüttke at a party celebrating Joseph Stalin's birthday were obtained by a Flensburg newspaper in October 2008.

In 2009 he failed to be nominated again as a Bundestag candidate.

Lawsuit against Wikimedia Deutschland

Screenshot of the website www.wikipedia.de on Sunday 16 November 2008

On 13 November 2008, Heilmann pressed charges against Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. at the Landgericht Lübeck, obtaining a preliminary injunction which barred the internet address www.wikipedia.de (which is controlled by Wikimedia Deutschland) from linking to de.wikipedia.org (controlled by the U.S.-based Wikimedia Foundation) as long as certain information about him is included in the German Misplaced Pages in the article Lutz Heilmann. Heilmann also filed legal complaints against one Misplaced Pages editor and two other online writers.

According to Focus Online, Heilmann objected to claims that he had not completed his university degree, and that he had participated in a business venture involving pornography. He did however admit that he had served as "youth protection officer" for an internet sex shop run by a roommate. The report also suggests that the Misplaced Pages article had been repeatedly altered in line with his claims by an anonymous user operating within the Bundestag building, but Heilmann denied having been involved in an edit war.

In October 2008, some German newspapers reported that Heilmann was under investigation for having threatened a former roommate and that the committee on immunity of the Bundestag had lifted his immunity in the matter. Heilmann denied this and had a counter statement published. (According to Die Tageszeitung charges were filed due to attempted coercion ("versuchte Nötigung"). Heilmann's response fits this explanation as he states that the committee on immunity of the Bundestag has dealt on 17 October with the matter in question related to short messages he sent to his former roommate.) This matter was reported in Heilmann's Misplaced Pages article. This claim, as well as claims that he had withheld parts of his Stasi records, were also cited by Heilmann as reasons for his action against Wikimedia Deutschland.

After some statements were removed from his German Misplaced Pages article and after major media coverage, Heilmann announced on 16 November that he would drop the legal proceedings against Wikimedia Deutschland, regretting that many uninvolved users of the encyclopedia had been affected. He vowed to continue his pursuit of the Misplaced Pages editor who had originally added the allegedly offensive material.

Heilmann later made a public statement on his actions against Misplaced Pages. "I didn't think it through and didn't anticipate the consequences," he admitted. Wikimedia Germany reported that on the Saturday of the blocking it had received record donations of €16,000, compared to €3,000 on an average day.

See also

  • Katina Schubert, another politician of Die Linke who initiated proceedings against Misplaced Pages

References

  1. ^ Resume Archived 2008-12-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 November 2008. (in German)
  2. Un ex-agent de la Stasi fait fermer le site allemand Wikipédia, Le Monde, 17 November 2008. (in French)
  3. German Misplaced Pages back online after dispute., Miami Herald, 17 November 2008.
  4. ^ Spiegel Online - Biografien: Ein Stasi-Mann spaltet die Linkspartei, 4 December 2005. (in German)
  5. "Birthler: Linksfraktion ist stasiverseucht". Berliner Kurier (in German). 24 September 2005. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
  6. «Misplaced Pages, die Stasi und der Linken-Politiker», Die Welt, November 16, 2008
  7. Bundestag biography Lutz Heilmann Archived 2009-09-23 at the Wayback Machine. (in German)
  8. Linkspartei Lübeck kämpft für Lutz Heilmann, HL-Live, 1 August 2005. (in German)
  9. Newsletter by Lutz Heilmann, July/August 2008 Archived 2008-12-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 November 2008. (in German)
  10. Lutz Heilmann Archived 2008-12-06 at the Wayback Machine, page at Die Linke. Retrieved 20 November 2008. (in German)
  11. ^ Linke waschen Schmutzwäsche, taz, 22 October 2008. (in German)
  12. ^ Schmutzkampagne in der Linken: Jetzt gerät Heilmann unter Beschuss Archived 2009-02-26 at the Wayback Machine, Lübecker Nachrichten, 21 October 2008. (in German)
  13. Focus Online - Misplaced Pages: Einstiegsseite wegen Klage blockiert, 15 November 2008. (in German)
  14. Gegendarstellung by Heilman, HL-live.de, 22 October 2008. (in German)
  15. Bundestagsabgeordneter lässt wikipedia.de sperren, Heise Online, 15 November 2008. (in German)
  16. Politiker will nicht mehr auf Misplaced Pages-Sperrung bestehen, Tagesschau, 16 November 2008. (in German)
  17. "German Misplaced Pages back online after dispute". Associated Press. 2008. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-18. The German-language portal to the Internet encyclopedia Misplaced Pages was back online Monday after a left-wing lawmaker dropped a legal complaint.
  18. Misplaced Pages-Sperre: Bundestagsabgeordneter Heilmann kapituliert, Heise online, 16 November 2008. (in German)
  19. "Lawmaker apologizes for blocking Misplaced Pages". Reuters. 19 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  20. Abgeordneter ließ Misplaced Pages sperren, Manager Magazin, 16 November 2008. (in German)

External links

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