BERLIN A Berlin court yesterday sentenced four former East German generals to up to three years in jail for ordering soldiers to shoot refugees attempting to escape to the West, reports Den is Staunton. A former East German defence minister was among those jailed after a 22-month trial during which the defendants denied that there was a general order to shoot would-be escapers at the Berlin Wall.
Presiding Judge Ralph Ehestaedt said it was not enough to blame the communist system for the border shootings and that the four generals bore personal responsibility.