Restoring Justice in Poland - with double-tinted glasses

Miners' Families Get Justice
26 years after 9 miners were killed and 25 injured by the Communist paramilitary police units (ZOMO - Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia) in the southern Polish mines of 'Wujek'(Uncle) and 'Lipcowy Manifest'(July manifesto) a district court in Katowice has declared the tragic event a 'communist crime'. Romuald Cieślak, the commander who ordered live rounds to be fired, was sentenced to 11 years in jail while 14 other participants in the killings were sentenced to between 2 1/2 and 3 years.

Pacification turned Massacre
The riot police were sent in to pacify the miners of 'Wujek' and 'Lipcowy Manifesto' in December 1981 as they had been protesting against the repression of their 'Solidarity' trade union and General Jaruzelski's declaration of martial law. This is the third time the officers had stood trial in a 14-year-long legal process. The men were acquitted on two previous occasions but the verdicts were overturned on appeal. According to Polish Radio for Foreigners

"this is the third time the officers had stood trial in a 14-year-long legal process. The men were acquitted on two previous occasions but the verdicts were overturned on appeal."

Retribution or Reconciliation
Former President Lech Walesa and current President Lech Kaczynski both welcomed the decision. The Institute of National Rememberance are currently investigating historical evidence to bring about the prosecutions of senior communist leaders of that period. Many in Poland are angered by the fact that the man who declared Stan Wojenny (State of War) against his own country, General Wojciech Jaruzelski, currently lives comfortably in
the capital, Warsaw. But the twin leaders have also recently aided the prosecution of the former president despite deep concerns in Poland about the wisdom of waking sleeping dogs.

When does the pursuit of justice cross that thin line into unconstructive retribution, thus becoming perpetuating mistrust, suspicion, and a 'stuck in the mud' attitude that makes a whole society prisoner to it's historical past? Move on or Lustrate? - that's the divisive issue to be decided by Polish society and it's politicians.

Restoring Justice
It is important that the victims' families have at long last received recognition that what occured was a terrible crime of oppression by the Communists though it's sad it had to take so long. We certainly do need procedures and solutions to deal with and show oppressive government, military, corporate and church officials amongst others that the struggles in edifying human rights by members of civil society will not slidder away into the haze. Impunity cannot exist, but nor can over-reactive reprisals towards those who were caught up in the circumstances of the times. Restoring fair justice needs to be prioritised above the meting out of and rejoicing in the punishment of political and military criminals.

Lustrate current human rights scandals
That's why the current adminstration, their police and civil society in Poland should also not lose sight of the fact that only 2 weeks ago the U.N. Committee Against Torture strongly condemned Polish police for torturing detainees. Maybe we should use the same criteria to judge current events rather than offering it up to the world or realpolitik. I'm not trying to make a complete comparison here, but rather pointing out that all is not sweet and rosy in Poland's 4th Republic approach to human rights issues.

The two men above are an Iraqi doctor and journalist who are long-term residents in Poland - they are standing in front of the U.S. embassy in Warsaw calling on the ending of the occupation and to condemn the ongoing Polish there. Those who abhor what happened at Wujek should be equally infuriated at Polish participation in the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, the purchasing of 48 F-16's from Lockheed Martin - the world's largest weapons contractor, and the proposed construction of a U.S. anti-ballistic missile system in the military airbase of Redzikowo near the town of Slupsk, whose residents according to news reports largely welcome the plan due to expected economic benefits.