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Poland honors thousands of anti-communist fighters Poland honors thousands of anti-communist fighters
(about 3 hours later)
WARSAW, Poland — Poland has honored thousands of anti-communist fighters persecuted and killed during the early years of the Soviet-imposed regime, which also ignored their existence in history books for decades. WARSAW, Poland — Poland on Tuesday honored thousands of anti-communist fighters persecuted and killed during the early years of the Soviet-imposed regime, which ignored their existence in history books for decades.
Tuesday’s nationwide observances, led by President Andrzej Duda, are part of democratic Poland’s efforts to recognize the sacrifice of men and women who actively opposed the communist regime, which seized power after World War II. The fighters were a taboo topic under communism. The nationwide observances, led by President Andrzej Duda, are part of democratic Poland’s efforts to recognize the sacrifice of men and women who actively opposed the communist regime, which seized power in 1944, after World War II. The fighters were a taboo topic under communism. A national holiday in their memory was established in 2011, but its status and form was raised this year by the new, conservative government that took power in November and aims to restore the forgotten or banned chapters of Poland’s history.
State officials and families of the fighters were attending wreath-laying ceremonies, prayers and other observances in Warsaw and elsewhere. These fighters “were on the side of a free Poland, they fought to the end and never gave up,” Duda said at a ceremony in the Presidential Palace, adding that punishments for such activities at the time included “prison, torture, suffering and pain.”
With little written record of communist crimes, historians can only roughly estimate the number of those killed at between 8,600 and over 25,000. They mostly were recruited from the wartime resistance that fought against the brutal German occupation of Poland. March 1 marks the anniversary of the 1951 execution of seven leaders of anti-communist resistance at a Warsaw prison, following a trial before a military court that was to sow fear in the nation. Their bodies, like those of other victims of the regime, were dumped in unmarked holes in the ground. Some of those mass graves have not been found until today.
Remains of over 100 victims were revealed in 2012 under a lawn at a Warsaw cemetery and the site has been turned into a memorial site. State officials and families of the victims laid wreaths there on Tuesday.
With little written record of communist crimes, historians can only roughly estimate the number of those killed at between 8,600 and over 25,000. There were thousands of others who survived communist prisons. They were mostly recruited from the wartime resistance that fought against the brutal German occupation of Poland.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.