Hilde Benjamin

Hilde Benjamin
Benjamin in 1947
Minister of Justice
In office 15 July 1953 – 14 July 1967
Chairman of the Council of Ministers	Otto Grotewohl Willi Stoph
Preceded by	Max Fechner
Succeeded by	Kurt Wünsche
Personal details
Born	Hilde Lange 5 February 1902 Bernburg, Province of Saxony, Free State of Prussia, German Empire (now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany)
Died	18 April 1989(1989-04-18) (aged 87) East Berlin, East Germany
Political party	Socialist Unity Party (1946–1989)
Other political affiliations	Communist Party of Germany (1927–1946)
Spouse	Georg Benjamin [de] (1895–1942)
Alma mater	Friedrich Wilhelm University
Occupation	Politician Civil Servant Judge
Central institution membership 1954–1989: Full member, Central Committee Other offices held 1949–1953: Vice President, Supreme Court of East Germany

Hilde Benjamin (née Lange; 5 February 1902 – 18 April 1989) was an East German judge and Minister of Justice of the German Democratic Republic. She is most notorious for presiding over the East German show trials of the 1950s, which drew comparisons to the Nazi Party's Volksgericht show trials under Judge Roland Freisler.^{[citation needed]} Hilde Benjamin is particularly known for being responsible for the politically motivated prosecution of Erna Dorn and Ernst Jennrich.^[1][2] In his 1994 inauguration speech German President Roman Herzog cited Hilde Benjamin as a symbol of totalitarianism and injustice, and called both her name and legacy incompatible with the German Constitution and with the rule of law.^[3][4]