The death of Uwe Barschel on 11 October 1987 in a Geneva hotel room remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in German post-war history. Was it suicide or murder? Decades later, the family of the deceased politician sought unusual help: medium Kim-Anne Jannes was asked to shed light on the darkness. This mediumistic investigation was broadcast on 31 October 2010 in the RTL show "Das Medium" and attracted major media attention throughout Germany.
Background: Scandal, "Word of Honor" and a Mysterious Death
Just weeks before his death, Uwe Barschel, then Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein, was embroiled in the so-called Waterkantgate (or Pfeiffer) affair: his media advisor Reiner Pfeiffer accused him of orchestrating a smear campaign against his SPD challenger Björn Engholm. At a press conference on 18 September 1987, Barschel gave his famous "word of honor" that he was innocent of the allegations. A few days later, he resigned. Just nine days after his resignation, he was found dead in Geneva – fully clothed in the bathtub of room 317 at the Hotel "Beau Rivage". The Geneva authorities ruled the death a suicide; his widow and siblings doubted that version from the very beginning.
A Bridge Between Worlds in the RTL Show
The mediumistic session, which was part of a highly publicized RTL production, brought the Barschel case back into the public eye. Kim-Anne Jannes is one of the best-known mediums in the German-speaking world. Her work takes place primarily in personal sittings rather than on spectacular stage shows. In the Barschel case, it was not just about spiritual comfort, but about reconstructing events that were never fully officially resolved.
The Mediumistic Session: Details from the Afterlife
In intensive collaboration with Uwe Barschel's widow, Freya Barschel, Kim-Anne Jannes attempted to establish contact with the soul of the deceased. Already in 1987, Uwe Barschel's brother Eike had publicly declared at a press conference in Geneva: "It was murder." The television broadcast of the session sparked heated debates in the German media landscape. In the process, details were discussed that went beyond publicly known information.
Particularly haunting were the descriptions of the final moments at the "Beau Rivage" hotel. Jannes described how Barschel perceived a paralysis of his body while a toxin – possibly in gaseous form through a ventilation shaft – was introduced into the room. She described how he helplessly witnessed a stranger placing him in the bathtub to cover up traces. These specific mediumistic impressions aligned with the family's long-standing doubts about the official suicide theory and supported the suspicion of a professionally executed murder.
For the Barschel family, this mediumistic investigation was an important step. It was about the honor of their brother and father, and the feeling that the truth – beyond political cover-ups – was finally being given a voice.
The full session can be watched as a video in our Knowledge section.
Mediumship as a Tool for Finding the Truth?
The Barschel case raises the question: can mediumship contribute to solving criminal cases? In countries like the UK or the USA, collaboration between mediums and authorities (Psychic Detectives) is not uncommon. In Germany, this approach remains controversial, but is gaining respectability through protagonists like Kim-Anne Jannes.
Similar examples of this form of cooperation can be found with other renowned mediums. For instance, the Swiss medium Pascal Voggenhuber is well-known for his work with police authorities, which even served as the basis for a Swiss "Tatort" crime scene investigation episode. Additionally, the Austrian medium Birgit Fischer reports on her activities in the field of Remote Viewing, working on missing person cases for the US-based "Find Me Group." Another spectacular example is the Swiss medium Martin Zoller, who successfully located a plane that had crashed in the Bolivian jungle using Remote Viewing.
Critics often point to the risk of misinterpretation. However, for those affected, who have often lived with uncertainty for decades, the specific details a medium can provide often offer the only path to inner closure.
Kim-Anne Jannes: Authenticity and Responsibility
What distinguished Kim-Anne Jannes in this case was her restraint. She did not claim to possess the absolute legal truth, but provided puzzle pieces that strengthened the family in their pursuit of justice. Her work shows that mediumship can begin where material evidence gathering reaches its limits.
RTL itself noted in the closing credits of the broadcast that the medium's statements held no legal evidentiary value – an important disclaimer that frames the session as personal comfort and a source of leads, not as a court hearing.
Are you interested in mediumistic investigations? Learn more about how a mediumship reading works or read about the background of mediums in police work.