A murder on behalf of a secret service or a double suicide? In the days after the death of the two well-known Green politicians Petra Kelly (1947-1992) and Gert Bastian (1923-1992), many rumors made the rounds. The authorities quickly announced the official cause of death in autumn 1992. But even after 30 years, the death of the prominent couple is keeping people busy.
Sky’s true crime documentary series, “Petra Kelly – The mysterious death of a peace icon” (from October 1), wants to shed light on the political and personal lives of Petra Kelly and Gert Bastian, as well as the mysterious circumstances surrounding their deaths. You can see companions like Lukas Beckmann (71), opponents like Theo Waigel (83), family members like Til and Eva Bastian and current protagonists like Anton Hofreiter (52) and Carla Reemtsma (24).
Petra Kelly became known as a politician, feminist, anti-nuclear and peace activist. In 1980 she was one of the founding members of the Greens and sat in the German Bundestag from 1983 to 1990. In 1980, Petra Kelly also met Gert Bastian, who was almost 25 years her senior. He was a major general in the Bundeswehr, later joined the peace movement and became a Green Party politician. The famous peace activists were considered the most prominent and controversial couple of politicians of the 1980s. In 1992 her life ended tragically.
The two were only found about three weeks after their death on October 19, 1992 – shot in their Bonn terraced house. Neighbors are said to have discovered the bodies. Kelly and Bastian had already died on October 1st. The cause of death was announced just hours after the bodies were found: “augmented suicide.” According to the police report at the time, Bastian killed Kelly with his pistol in his sleep and then shot himself. Nevertheless, conspiracy theories quickly spread. The exact background is partly unclear even 30 years later. Apparently there were no farewell letters, but there were supposedly full appointment calendars…
“Petra Kelly – The mysterious death of a peace icon” will be broadcast on Sky Crime from October 1st and is also available with Sky Q and on the streaming service Wow. Based on the death of the political icon, the documentary series promises to interweave the political, social and private events with the criminal case in three approximately 45-minute parts.
