A leading figure of the German communist movement, Herbert Mies, died on 14 January 2017 in his hometown of Mannheim at the age of 87. Mies joined the Communist Party of Germany in 1945. He was elected chairman of the (West) German Communist Party (DKP) in 1973. He was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize in 1985/1986. Mies resigned from his position as party chairman in October 1989.
Responding to the news of Herbert Mies' death, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) issued the following statement:
"With sadness the CC of the KKE was informed about the death of comrade Herbert Mies who was a leading figure of the international and German communist movement, being President of the German CP from 1973 to 1989.
For a whole life, until his 87 years, comrade Mies consistently served the working class of Germany, the people of his country. In his youth, he opposed fascism and faced decisively the difficult circumstances of illegality and persecution of the next period. He excelled in the International Communist Movement and was awarded the Lenin Prize.
He was a militant opponent of capitalism and anticommunism. A consistent defender of proletarian internationalism, of the German Democratic Republic and the Soviet Union, of the achievements of socialism.
Until the end of his life he stood on the side of the German Communist Party.
The Greek communists will remember his internationalist action and solidarity.
The CC of the KKE expresses its warm condolences to the CC of the German Communist Party, to the German communists and his family.
Source: 902.gr / Translation: In Defense of Communism.