Erich Mielke

Erich Fritz Emil Mielke (German: [ˈeːʁɪç ˈmiːlkə]; 28 December 1907 ; Wedding, Berlin, Brandenburg, Prussia, Imperial Germany – 21 May 2000 ; Berlin, Germany) was a East German communist. He was head of the East German Ministry for State Security (Ministerium für Staatsicherheit – MfS), better known as the Stasi, from 1957 appointed by Walter Ulbricht who was leader from 1950-1971 until shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 lead by Erich Honecker .

Erich Mielke
Mielke in 1976 age 69
Minister for State Security East Germany
In office 11 December 1957 – 18 November 1989
President	Wilhelm Pieck (1957–1960) Walter Ulbricht (1960–1973) Friedrich Ebert (1973) Willi Stoph (1973–1976) Erich Honecker (1976–1989)
Prime Minister	Otto Grotewohl (1957–1964) Willi Stoph (1964–1973) Horst Sindermann (1973–1976) Willi Stoph (1976–1989) Hans Modrow (1989)
Lieutenant	Walter Ulbricht (1957–1971) Erich Honecker (1971–1989)
Preceded by	Ernst Wollweber
Succeeded by	Wolfgang Schwanitz
Personal details
Born	Erich Fritz Emil Mielke (1907-12-28)28 December 1907 Wedding, Berlin, Brandenburg, Prussia, German Empire
Died	21 May 2000(2000-05-21) (aged 92) Berlin, Germany
Political party	Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Spouse(s)	Gertrud Mueller
Children	Frank Ingrid
Occupation	Communist official, Stasi leader, Executioner, and Chairman of SV Dynamo
Military service
Allegiance	East Germany
Branch/service	National People's Army
Rank	Armeegeneral
Battles/wars	Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), World War II (1939-1945) (as a Nazi)
Criminal status	Paroled in 1995 due to poor health
Conviction(s)	Double homicide, attempted murder
Criminal penalty	6 years imprisonment

Mielke died on 21 May 2000 at a nursing home in Berlin at the age of 92 just almost 11 year’s after the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 .^[1]

References

1. Obituary: "Erich Mielke, Powerful Head of Stasi, East Germany's Vast Spy Network, Dies at 92" Binder, David, The New York Times, 26 May 2000