Court of Human Rights; photo - EPA
The cases relate to the crushing of demonstrations in Gdynia, northern Poland, in December 1970, and the pacification of the “Wujek” coal mine in Silesia following the introduction of martial law in December 1981.
Over forty were killed in the former, and nine in the latter. Dozens more were injured.
The renewed bid for justice was highlighted by the Rzeczpospolita daily on Friday.
“We are interested in bringing the case to Strasbourg,” said Waldemar Brygman, who took a bullet during the 1970 clash in Gdynia.
“We have been waiting for a verdict for so many years,” he stressed.
Brygman lamented the interminable trial of General Wojciech Jaruzelski, former communist party leader, and Minister of Defence during December 1970.
“The trial of Wojciech Jaruzelski was suspended in July due to his illness,” Brygman reflected.
“The victims who survived, they too are sick, but the courts are not interested in that,” he said.
Stanislaw Piatek, head of the strike committee at the Wujek coal mine in 1981, shares similar sentiments. He himself was wounded in the pacification.
“The state cares more about the victims than the accused,” he said.
Poland's own Minister of Justice, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, appears to agree with the potential plaintiffs.
“The unresolved issues relating to December 1970 and the authors of martial law are a matter of exceptional shame and a bad reflection on our courts,” he said.
If the European Court of Human Rights takes on the cases, Poland could be compelled to carry out effective legal action against the accused, under the supervision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Compensation could be paid to the victims.
Nevertheless, the process of bringing a case to Strasbourg itself takes considerable time, suggesting that justice is unlikely to be served in the near future. (nh/pg)