Nancy Aris remains Saxony's State Commissioner for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship. The state parliament elected her to this position for a further five years on Wednesday. "In the coming years, we will face major challenges in coming to terms with the GDR: Our contemporary witnesses are becoming fewer, many volunteers are getting older. The reappraisal is experiencing a generational change," emphasized Aris.
Tight financial situation slows down educational work at memorial sites
According to the state commissioner, civil society involvement remains indispensable. At the same time, state institutions must assume greater responsibility for the long-term preservation and communication of knowledge. "The tight budget situation is limiting us in this respect and is slowing down the increasingly necessary educational work at the memorial sites. However, educational programs for younger people in particular urgently need to be developed further."
The Saxon State Commissioner is tasked with supporting people who were politically persecuted in the former Soviet occupation zone and in the GDR. Another task is to provide historical and political education. Aris is also tasked with bringing the perspectives of people affected by GDR injustice
into social and political debates.
