Hans-Christian Ströbele facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hans-Christian Ströbele
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Ströbele in 2017
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| Leader of The Greens | |
| In office June 1990 – February 1991 Serving with Renate Damus, Heide Rühle
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| Preceded by | Ralf Fücks |
| Succeeded by | Ludger Volmer |
| Member of the Bundestag for Berlin |
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| In office 17 October 2002 – 24 October 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Canan Bayram |
| Constituency | Berlin-Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg – Prenzlauer Berg East |
| In office 26 October 1998 – 17 October 2002 |
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| Preceded by | multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | multi-member district |
| Constituency | Alliance 90/The Greens list |
| In office 31 March 1985 – 18 February 1987 |
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| Preceded by | Dirk Schneider |
| Succeeded by | multi-member district |
| Constituency | Alliance 90/The Greens list |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 June 1939 Halle, Province of Saxony, Prussia, German Reich |
| Died | 29 August 2022 (aged 83) Berlin, Germany |
| Political party | Alliance 90/The Greens (1980–2022) |
| Other political affiliations |
Alternative Liste für Demokratie und Umweltschutz (1978–1980) Social Democratic Party (1970–1975) |
| Spouse |
Juliana Ströbele-Gregor
(m. 1967) |
| Residence | Berlin-Hansaviertel |
| Alma mater | Heidelberg University Free University of Berlin |
| Occupation |
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Hans-Christian Ströbele (born 7 June 1939 – died 29 August 2022) was an important German politician and lawyer. He was a member of Alliance 90/The Greens, which is Germany's green party. He was known for his strong opinions and for standing up for what he believed in.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hans-Christian Ströbele was born on 7 June 1939 in Halle, Germany. His father was a chemist. In 1959, he finished high school, earning his Abitur (a German high school diploma). He also completed his military service in the German Air Force.
Ströbele studied law and political science at Heidelberg University and the Free University of Berlin. In 1967, he began working as a trainee lawyer. He started his own law practice in Berlin in 1969.
In the late 1960s, Ströbele was involved in student movements. From 1970 to 1974, he was a member of the SPD. He also worked with a group called the "Socialist Lawyers' Collective." He became well-known for defending political activists in court. He helped found the left-wing newspaper Die Tageszeitung in 1977.
Joining the Green Party
Ströbele helped start the "Alternative List for Democracy and Environmental Protection." This group later became the Green Party in Berlin. He became a member of the Bundestag (the German parliament) in 1985 and served until 1987. He also helped create a "red-green coalition" government in Berlin in 1989. This was a partnership between the Social Democrats (red) and the Greens.
In June 1990, Ströbele became a spokesman for the Green Party. However, he stepped down in February 1991. This was because he strongly disagreed with the Persian Gulf War. He also opposed sending Patriot missiles to Israel during a party visit there. After this, he continued to work as an assemblyman for the Greens in Berlin.
Time as a Member of Parliament (1998–2017)
In 1998, the Green Party joined a government led by Gerhard Schröder. Ströbele then entered the Bundestag again. He was part of the Parliamentary Oversight Panel. This group watches over Germany's intelligence services. From 2002 to 2005, he was also a deputy leader for the Green Party in the Bundestag. Later, he joined the Committee on Legal Affairs in 2005.
During these years, Ströbele often disagreed with the Green foreign minister, Joschka Fischer. He especially opposed sending German troops to places like the Kosovo War (1999) and for Operation Enduring Freedom (2001). He even tried to get the party to debate its stance on Kosovo. In 2001, he urged the Greens to leave the government because of these disagreements.
Before the 2002 German federal election, Ströbele was not given a high spot on the Green Party's list of candidates. Usually, this list is how Green candidates win seats in parliament. So, he decided to campaign for a direct seat in the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Prenzlauer Berg East area. He won this election with 31.6% of the votes. This made him the first Green politician to win a direct seat in parliament. He was the only Green member to hold a direct seat from 2002 to 2017.
He won his direct seat again in the 2005 election with 43.2% of the votes. He also won in 2009 and 2013.
In 2011, Ströbele joined other politicians in a legal challenge. They argued that Chancellor Angela Merkel's government was not providing enough information to parliament. In 2017, the Federal Constitutional Court agreed. They said the government must give clear answers to parliamentary questions.
In December 2016, Ströbele announced he would not run in the 2017 German federal election. He decided to retire from politics. Canan Bayram took over his electoral district.
Other Activities
- taz Panter Stiftung, Member of the Board of Trustees (until 2022)
- German Development Service (DED), Member of the Supervisory Board (1998–2011)
Political Views
Military Actions
Ströbele often voted against Germany's military involvement in missions like the ISAF in Afghanistan. In 2010, he did not vote on Germany's role in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon mission. However, he later voted against renewing it.
He did vote in favor of German participation in many United Nations peacekeeping missions. These included missions in Darfur/Sudan (2010-2015) and South Sudan (2011-2013). But he opposed missions like Operation Atalanta in Somalia (2009-2013) and EUTM Mali (2013-2015).
Intelligence Services
In 2006, Ströbele helped write a report about Germany's intelligence services during the Iraq War. He believed the report was based on incomplete information. He even posted his own comments on his website.
In 2013, Ströbele met with Edward Snowden in Moscow. Ströbele was a long-serving member of the committee that oversees German intelligence. He wanted Snowden to share information with the German parliamentary committee. This was to help them understand foreign spying in Germany.
Eurozone Financial Crisis
During the Eurozone crisis, Ströbele was the only Green Party member to vote against Germany's financial support plans. These included measures like the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) in 2012. He had concerns about whether these plans followed the German constitution.
Arms Exports
In 2011, there was a debate about Germany exporting tanks to Saudi Arabia. Ströbele said he would go to the Federal Constitutional Court if the government didn't share information. In 2014, he and other Green politicians filed a complaint. They argued that the government should not keep arms deals secret from parliament. The court ruled that the government must provide details about approved arms deals when asked.
Later Life
Ströbele left the Bundestag in 2017 because of health issues. He was 79 years old at the time. His health continued to decline in his later years. He passed away on August 29, 2022, at the age of 83.
