Preserving truth and memory

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki noted the importance of preserving the truth about the events that happened 41 years ago, "It is said that time heals wounds. However, time also obliterates memory. The memory about the victims of martial law and the memory about martial law is of great importance not only for our history but also for our present day."

At the Museum of Cursed Soldiers and Political Prisoners of the Polish People's Republic in Warsaw, the head of the Polish government pointed out that "it was in the circles of the Polish communists, Jaruzelski and his entourage, that the decisions to impose martial law were made."

The Prime Minister emphasised that martial law was not just about arresting, interning, beating and humiliating people, but also about murdering more than 100 members of our society. The perpetrators responsible for the disappearances of Polish women and men have not been identified to date.

Tribute to the victims of martial law

"Behind me is a plaque with dozens of photographs of the most famous victims of martial law. Along with these victims, let us also remember those whose murderers were never identified, never revealed. Indeed, there are also some whose bodies have never been found," stressed the head of the Polish government.

Martial law

On 13 December 1981, General Wojciech Jaruzelski announced that the Military Council of National Salvation had been formed and that martial law had been imposed throughout the country by decree of the Council of State. On that day, all citizens could hear the General's speech broadcast from 6 a.m. on Polish Radio.

Already in the first days of martial law, around 5,000 people were interned and held in 49 internment centres across the country. Those arrested included activists and leaders of the Solidarity movement, members of Solidarity trade union branches at large factories, as well as members of the democratic opposition and intellectuals associated with the Solidarity movement. The total number of internees reached 10,000 people.

"A lost generation, a lost decade – this is how we talk about martial law because Poland suffered tremendous losses during that time. It lost its chance for normal economic development," said Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. "At the same time, Poland also lost more than a million people. Today, let us also remember that. It is hundreds of thousands of broken families, it is the emigration of more than a million people who never returned to Poland," he added.