From Free Life, Issue 18, May 1993
ISSN: 0260 5112

(Jacek Sierpinski is the Information Officer of the Polish Anarchist Federation.)

Despite the end of Communist rule, the Polish Government continues to persecute conscientious objectors to military service. Since the conviction of Roman Galuszko, sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment in the summer of 1992, two others, Piotr Krzyzanowski and Piotr Dawidziak, have come before the courts. The court of first instance made a suspended sentence. however, on appeal to the Military Chamber of the Supreme Court, these sentences were increased to actual imprisonment.

All three persons are pacifists with a strong moral objection to military service, but had petitioned for the right to substitute some civilian service - just as is permitted in Germany and many other Western countries that retain conscription.

Messrs Krzyzanowski and Dawidziak are both members of the Objectors' Association, and following their conviction they were elected respectively President and Vice-President of the Association.

Mr Galuszko's legal grounds for seeking substitute service were religious - in accordance with the Fifth Amendment to the Polish Constitution. However, the local Recruiting Committee, following an opinion of the Roman Catholic authorities, rejected his motion. They ruled that a Roman Catholic may not plead any conscientious objection to military service because the Army allows complete freedom of worship, and even provides field chaplains and bishops. This ruling was affirmed by the Military Court in Cracow and affirmed again by the Military Division of the Supreme Court.

After protests, the Minister of Justice ordered a rehearing of the final appeal - the official Advocate of Civil Rights having refused to act in the matter - but the Military Court upheld its own verdict.

In support of Mr Galuszko, rallies and demonstrations have been organised, together with letters, concerts and petitions to President Walesa for a free pardon. These latter were submitted by, among others, a group of Deputies and Senators, by the professors and students of the Roman Catholic University at Lublin, by the Helsinki Committee, by Amnesty International, by the Objectors' Association, by the Freedom and Peace Movement, by the Green Federation, and by groups of the Anarchist Federation.

Delegates to the Freedom and Peace Movement Conference reminded Mr Walesa of his letter in support of substitute service published in 1987, while the country was still under Communist rule and he was still Chairman of the Solidarity Movement.

At the public demonstrations organised by the Anarchists, the Greens, and the Freedom and Peace Movement military identity cards were burned. Others were posted to Mr Walesa. The last such demonstration took place on the 13th December 1992 - the 11th anniversary of General Jaruzelski's declaration of a state of emergency - outside the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.

The Anarchist Federation demands: the release of Mr Galuszko and others convicted of the same offence, and of deserters; together with the disbanding of the armed forces.

Unfortunately, these more radical demands are unpopular. Of the parliamentary parties only the conservative-liberal UPR officially favours the abolition of compulsory service, but has no sympathy for those who currently refuse such service. The UD Party, which is represented in Mrs Suchocka's governing coalition, advocates a reform of the Military Service Act, to allow substitute service - but also advocates severe penalties for those who refuse all compulsory service. This advocacy, however, must be balanced by a statement of the UD leaders to a delegation of the Anarchist Federation, that they disapproved of substitute service.

Among these leaders was Wladyslaw Frasyniuk, formerly a Solidarity activist and political prisoner. He is quoted as having said that Mr Galuszko would "come to no harm in prison".

Mr Walesa has made no official pronouncement on these matters, but has unofficially expressed his disinclination to grant free or other pardons. It is possible, though, that persuasion from abroad might be sufficient to change his mind.

If these matters concern my readers in the West, I ask them to contact the nearest Polish Embassy or Consulate and express their distaste at this continuing persecution of conscientious objectors. Alternatively, I ask them to petition Mr Walesa directly through letters such as the following:

A single page letter to Poland costs at the moment £0.28p.

For further information, I can be reached at the Information Office of the Anarchist Federation, care of: An Arche, Uniwersytet Slaski, Bankowa 12, 40-007 Katowice, Poland.