Brest trials

The Brest trials ( _pl. Proces brzeski) were among the most (in)famous trials conducted under the Second Polish Republic. Tried from October 26, 1931, to January 13, 1932, at the Warsaw Regional Court were leaders of the "Centrolew", a "Center-Left" anti-Sanation-government political-opposition movement.

The Polish Sanation government had invalidated the May 1930 election results by disbanding the parliament in August [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0271023082&id=WoKQWem2yl4C&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=elections+Poland+1930&sig=dxipbeOTj59kFeQa1aMwoIvuN3k] and with increasing pressure on the opposition started a new campaign, the new elections being scheduled to November [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN030010670X&id=LkZlidUKEl8C&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=elections+Poland+1930&sig=N6wVSrtapBFL1T4_CIFL5pNgpiw] . Using the anti-government demonstrations as a pretext, 20 [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0271023082&id=WoKQWem2yl4C&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=elections+Poland+1930&sig=dxipbeOTj59kFeQa1aMwoIvuN3k] members of the oppositions, including most of the leaders of "Centrolew" alliance (from Polska Partia Socjalistyczna, PSL "Piast" and PSL "Wyzwolenie" parties) were arrested [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0415066891&id=_l0W0c5UlY8C&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=elections+Poland+1930&sig=31JEnbaceDZIwMyEPkhPQLWLL6s] in September without a warrant, only on the order of Józef Piłsudski and then-Minister of Internal Security, Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski, accusing them of plotting an anti-government coup [http://www.ku.edu/~eceurope/hist557/lect14a.htm] . The opposition members (who included the former prime minister Wincenty Witos, and Wojciech Korfanty) were imprisoned in the Brest Fortress, where their trial took place (thus the popular name for the election: the 'Brest election'). A number of less known activists were arrested throughout the country [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0271023082&id=WoKQWem2yl4C&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=elections+Poland+1930&sig=dxipbeOTj59kFeQa1aMwoIvuN3k] . They were released after the end of the election in the same month. The Brest trial ended in January 1932, with 10 accused receiving sentences up to 3 years of imprisonment; the appeals of 1933 confirmed the sentences. The government however gave the accused choice of emigrating: five of them took it, the other five to serve the prison term instead [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0415066891&id=_l0W0c5UlY8C&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103&dq=elections+Poland+1930&sig=31JEnbaceDZIwMyEPkhPQLWLL6s] .