GDR – An Unlawful State, a Dictatorship
Characteristics of state action:

Lack of separation of powers: The SED had the sole monopoly; courts and justice were not independent and subordinated to the party’s political will.

Restriction of fundamental rights: There were no free elections, no real press freedom, no freedom of expression, and no right to free assemblies or opposition.

Repression and surveillance: The Ministry for State Security (Stasi) monitored the population comprehensively. Critics were systematically persecuted, harassed, or imprisoned.

Border regime: At the inner-German border and the Berlin Wall, people who wanted to leave the GDR (republican refugees) were killed by order of fire and self-shot devices.

State law in everyday life: Politically motivated judicial proceedings, forced adoptions, and the system of closed youth hostels were stripped of legal oversight.