Germany frees, deports convicted Russia spy
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 22 November 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Germany frees, deports convicted Russia spy, 22 November 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/548ea9061d.html [accessed 29 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
November 22, 2014
German authorities have released a woman convicted of spying for Russia and deported her after she served half of her prison sentence.
Heidrun Anschlag, 48, and her husband Andreas, 53, known only by the fake names on the passports they used to enter Germany, were arrested in 2011.
Andreas was jailed in July 2013 for six and a half years and Heidrun for five and a half years by a court in the southwestern city of Stuttgart.
They were planted in former West Germany from 1988 by the Soviet Union's KGB and later worked for its successor the SVR.
They obtained NATO and EU secrets, focusing particularly on the relationship with Eastern European and Central Asian countries.
Prosecutors agreed to waive the remainder of Heidrun's sentence in view of her deportation. They did not say when the woman was freed or where she was sent.
The woman's husband remains in prison.
Based on reporting by AP and AFP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
