Ernst Jennrich
Ernst Jennrich | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 November 1911 Wedringen, Province of Saxony, German Empire |
| Died | 20 March 1954 (aged 42) |
| Cause of death | Execution by guillotine |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party (1928-1933 1945-1946) Socialist Unity Party (1946-1947) |
| Children | 4 |
Ernst Jennrich (15 November 1911 – 20 March 1954) was a German gardener who was executed in East Germany for the murder of a Volkspolizei officer in Magdeburg during the Uprising of 1953.
Jennrich was a former member of the ruling Socialist Unity Party who joined the protests in Magdeburg and was accused of fatally shooting officer Georg Gaidzik during a confrontation on 17 June 1953. Jennrich was found guilty of Gaidzik's murder despite the weak evidence against him and sentenced to life imprisonment. Jennrich's sentence was increased to the death penalty days later under the influence of Justice Minister Hilde Benjamin and he was executed by guillotine in Dresden.
On 20 August 1991, the original court verdict was overturned and Jennrich was posthumously rehabilitated by a decision of the district court in Magdeburg.