Who was Peter Fechter?
Q: Who was Peter Fechter?
A: Peter Fechter was a bricklayer who became one of the best-known victims of the Berlin Wall.
Q: What did Peter Fechter try to do when he was 18 years old?
A: When he was 18 years old, Peter Fechter tried to cross the Berlin Wall near Checkpoint Charlie to live with his sister in the West.
Q: Did Fechter's friend Helmut Kulbeik manage to cross the wall with him?
A: No, only Helmut Kulbeik was successful in crossing the wall; Peter Fechter was hit by gunshots and fell back down to the Death Strip.
Q: Did anyone help Fechter after he fell back down from the wall?
A: Crowds gathered on both sides of the wall, but police dispersed the crowds on the east side, and the DDR border guards did not do anything. Police on the west side threw medical kits to him but did not do more.
Q: Did anyone take responsibility for the death of Peter Fechter?
A: After reunification, two border police were found guilty of manslaughter, convicted and given suspended prison terms of 20 and 21 months respectively. They admitted to firing shots at Fechter but did not want to kill him.
Q: Why did Fechter bleed to death?
A: Fechter bled to death after about an hour due to gunshot wounds from the border police.
Q: What did the court rule about Fechter's death?
A: The court ruled that Fechter was killed by the gunshots and not by the absence of aid. However, the evidence could not show who among the three gunmen was responsible for the bullet that killed him.
