18 Facts About Walter Janka

Walter Janka was a German communist, political activist and writer who became a publisher.

Walter Janka was one of six children born to a tool and die maker called Adalbert Janka.

In 1930 Walter Janka became an Organisation Leader, and then a Political leader of the Young Communists for the Chemnitz sub-region.

Walter Janka was remanded to custody in Chemnitz and in Freiberg before being tried and convicted under German law of preparing to commit high treason.

In 1936 Walter Janka went to Spain to join the Thalmann Battalion and fight in the Spanish Civil War.

Mielke demanded to know why Walter Janka had voluntarily traveled from Czechoslovakia to Spain rather than being assigned there by the Party.

Walter Janka then escaped via Casablanca in November 1941, and ending up in exile in Mexico, where together with Paul Merker and Alexander Abusch he founded the "Free Germany" movement and contributed to the anti-Nazi movement in German literature known as Exilliteratur.

In 1946 Walter Janka took over leadership of the Mexican section of the German Communist Party in exile.

Walter Janka was appointed managing director on 6 October 1948.

Walter Janka was replaced in the top job in 1949, but remained on the executive board till 1950.

On 6 December 1956 Walter Janka was arrested on a charge of counter-revolutionary conspiracy and held in the Berlin-Hohenschonhausen Remand Prison.

Walter Janka remained in the Berlin-Hohenschonhausen prison for more than half a year before being charged in the Supreme Court, on 26 July 1957, with "being directly behind, and participating in, a counter-revolutionary group", He was sentenced to a further five years in prison, with "enhanced solitary confinement".

Walter Janka served the first part of his sentence in Berlin-Hohenschonhausen prison where he had been held on remand, but in 1958 he was transferred to Bautzen prison where he fell seriously ill.

Walter Janka later wrote of this time how his mind wandered back to the Nazi years when he had been incarcerated in the same place.

On 23 December 1960 Walter Janka was released from prison before completing the original term of his sentence, following international protests.

Walter Janka was heavily involved with the much acclaimed film, Goya or the Hard Way to Enlightenment.

On 16 December 1989 Walter Janka was a member of the presidium at the Special Party Congress of the SED held in Berlin at the Dynamo Sports Hall.

Walter Janka died in March 1994 in Kleinmachnow and is buried there in the Waldfriedhof.