Benito Corghi was an Italian long-distance truck driver. In the morning of 5 August 1976 he crossed the border crossing at Hirschberg/Rudolphstein at the Bundesautobahn 9 into West Germany. After parking his truck on the West German side, he attempted to walk back to the East German side to pick up some papers he forgot.[1] This was not allowed. When a guard shouted at him and ordered him to raise his hands, he did not understand, turned around and attempted to walk back, whereupon he was shot.[2]
Corghi was a member of the Italian Communist Party, and his death severely embarrassed the East German authorities.[3] On the next day, the authorities of the GDR formally apologized for the "tragic accident". It was the only time in GDR history that such a formal apology was issued for a deadly occurrence along the inner-German border.[4]
The shooter was acquitted in 1994 by the District Court (Landgericht) of Gera.[5]
Corghi remains the only non-German killed at the inner German border.[3]
