On June 10, 2026, a new stone of contention appeared on the cobblestone street of Cologne, at Kalscheurer Weg 29. It is dedicated to Otto Richter, executed in 1944 for "high treason." His name is not as well-known as the names of millions, but it is inscribed in bronze. Who was this man? Why was he executed? And why should we bow down today to read his name?Who was Otto Richter Otto Richter was a Cologne worker, a member of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). He was born in the 1900s (the exact date is not preserved in mass sources). After Hitler came to power in 1933, communists were outlawed. Otto continued his underground work: distributing leaflets, helping Jewish neighbors hide, collecting money for the families of imprisoned people. In 1943, he was arrested by the Gestapo. The charge: "preparation for high treason" (Vorbereitung zum Hochverrat). On March 13, 1944, the People's Court (Volksgerichtshof) sentenced him to death. The sentence was carried out in the Brandenburg-Görden prison on August 11, 1944.What did "high treason" mean under the nazis The Nazi regime expanded the concept of "high treason" to absurdity. They were rewarded for listening to foreign radio, criticizing the Fuhrer, refusing to greet with "Heil Hitler," and for communist activity. The sentence was often death. Otto Richter did not kill, steal, or spy for the enemy. He simply did not agree with the regime. That was enough to cost him his life. In 2026, when we read his stone, we see how easily fascism turns dissent into a crime.How his relatives were found For many years, only archivists knew of Otto's fate. In 2024, the Cologne NS-DOK (Documentation Center of the Nazi Period) found his great-niece, who lives in Australia. She came to the ceremony for the installation of the stone. The woman brought with her letters from Otto from prison, written in pencil on bits of paper. In his last letter, he wrote: "Do not cry. I am dying for what I believed. Germany will be free." Ceremony on Jun ... Read more