Erich Honecker was a German communist politician who led East Germany as the General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party from 1971 until 1989, serving as Head of State as well after Willi Stoph's relinquishment of that post in 1976. Following the definite end of the Cold War, Honecker refused all but cosmetic changes and was ousted by the party in late 1989 and removed from power. After German reunification, he successfully evaded prosecution for human rights abuses committed under his regime. He finally settled down with his family in Chile in 1993, and died the following year from liver cancer.