She was a vigorous campaigner against nuclear power and other environmental issues and founded the German Green Party 1972. She was a member of the Bundestag (parliament) 1983-90, but then fell out with her party. Born in Germany, Kelly was brought up in the USA and was influenced by the civil-rights movement there. She worked briefly in the office of lawyer and politician Robert Kennedy and, returning to Germany, she joined the European Economic Community as a civil servant 1972. Her goal, to see the ecological movement as a global organization, became increasingly frustrated by the provincialism of the German Green Party. She died at the hands of her lover, the former general Gert Bastian, who then committed suicide. Deeply concerned with radioactivity in the environment, having seen the early death of her half-sister from leukemia, she carried out pioneering ecological work in her position with the European Economic Community. With her fluency in English, she emerged as the German Green Party's most prominent early spokesperson, and the leader of its pragmatic ("realo") wing as the party split into its increasingly bitter divisions. She was Green member of the German parliament 1983-90, and was one of the first Green MPs in the world. Questions regarding the exact circumstances of the Kelly's tragic death, and whether there had been a suicide pact between her and Gert, remained unanswered.
