Polish defence ministry wants prosecutors to probe ‘praise’ of martial law

The defence ministry was referring to comments made by former military commander Colonel Adam Mazguła, a signatory of an open letter urging Poles to take part in an anti-government protest on 13 December, the 35th anniversary of the imposition of martial law.

“I experienced martial law, I was... an officer and I do not recall any strange things, any special oppression, on the streets,” Mazguła said at a rally last week against plans to cut pensions for former officers of the country’s communist-era security services.

“Of course there were some fights... but generally it was mostly all civilised,” he added.

Defence ministry spokesman Bartłomiej Misiewicz said on Twitter on Tuesday: “The Ministry of Defence will inform prosecutors regarding the praising of a crime – martial law.”

Under Poland’s penal code, praising a crime can be punishable by arrest, imprisonment or fines.

According to a 1990 report, on the first night of martial law more than 6,500 opposition activists were arrested and interned. Over 90 people had been killed by the time martial law ended on 22 July 1983.

Under martial law Poland’s communist regime suspended all political and workers’ organizations and introduced a curfew.

Former Polish President Lech Wałęsa, and Grzegorz Schetyna and Ryszard Petru -- respectively leaders of opposition parties Civic Platform (PO) and Modern (Nowoczesna) -- also signed the letter urging Poles to protest on 13 December.

“The [first] year of the Law and Justice government has above all been a time of the methodical destruction of Poland, its relationships with its neighbours and its image in the world,” they said in the letter.

“It has been a time of subordinating practically all public institutions -- courts, prosecutors, the civil service and the military -- to the party’s interests ,” they added. (vb/pk)

Source: PAP