German man awarded CZK 85,500 for injury while trying to cross Iron Curtain, Constitutional Court confirms

German national Thomas Bartsch has been awarded CZK 85,500 in compensation for an injury he suffered while trying to cross the Iron Curtain and escape to the West. Czechoslovak border guards shot him in the knee.

Bartsch was initially granted just CZK 5,550, but after the Constitutional Court intervened, the compensation was significantly increased. The latest ruling has now been upheld, with the court rejecting further appeals as unfounded, ČTK found in the court’s database.

Bartsch, then 23, lived in East Germany, a Soviet satellite state. The incident occurred in July 1989. After being wounded, he was taken to hospital and later handed over to East German security authorities. He has suffered lasting health problems since the shooting.