A new documentary for Swedish public television claims that back before the Berlin Wall fell, IKEA used East German political prisoners to manufacture some of its furniture. This revelation might change your mind about shopping for cheap Swedish furniture.



According to The Independent, the retailer once worked hand-in-hand with East Germany's hated secret police known as the Stasi. Documents from 1970s and 80s supposedly show evidence of political prisoners being used for IKEA's manufacturing process.

This isn't the first time IKEA's been accused of using prisoners as assembly slaves. Back in 2011, a documentary for German television leveled similar allegations against the company, saying that several East German prisons were used to make IKEA furniture, including at one factory that was built right next to a prison where they produced their famous "Klippan" sofa.

So far, IKEA has responded by saying it is deeply troubled by the allegations and are currently conducting an investigation. A spokeswoman said, "So far there are no indications that we would have asked prisoners to be used in manufacturing or known about it."