Pawłokoma massacre

Pawłokoma massacre concerns the murder at the end of World War II, of Ukrainian civilians by Poles, in Pawłokoma near Przemyśl in Poland, on March 3, 1945.

The massacre

Approximately 366 (or 150 according to one Polish source) Ukrainian and a few PolishFact|date=February 2008 inhabitants of Pawłokoma were murdered, by a former Armia Krajowa unit, [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/5/4c935b0f-8009-48dc-93d8-95344832adc7.html Jan Maksymiuk: Ukraine, Poland Seek Reconciliation Over Grisly History] in Radio Free Europe NEWS article, May 12, 2006] commanded by Józef Biss "Wacław" aided by Polish self-defence groups from nearby villages. The victims were herded into a local church, interrogated (some were tortured) and then taken to a local cemetery where they were executed. Only women with small children (below 10 years old) survived.Misiło, "Pawłokoma ...", p. 13] Already during the execution the Ukrainian property was robbed by Poles from the neighbourhood villages.

The massacre believed to be an act of retaliation for earlier alleged murders by Ukrainian Insurgent Army of 9 (or 11) Poles [According to Polish-Ukrainian historian Eugeniusz Misiło, the Poles allegedly murdered in Pawłokoma by UPA, in reality were kidnapped by Soviet NKVD, in an attempt to start a series of retaliations. (Misiło, "Pawłokoma ...", p. 20)] in Pawłokoma and unspecified number of Poles killed by UPA in neighbouring villages.

Aftermath

In a retaliation action, Ukrainian insurgents from UPA committed further massacres of Polish civilians in Pawłokoma and Borowica villages (where approximately 77 Poles were killed), and burned Borowica to the ground.

Pawłokoma massacre is one of the best known, but not the sole example of Ukrainian civilians being murdered by different Polish groups in February-April 1945. Similar massacres followed soon in other nearby villages, including Łubna, Małkowice and Piskorowice.Misiło, "Pawłokoma ...", pp.19,20]

Several bodies of the victims were exhumed in 1952. The Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) has been conducting an investigation of the crime since 20 September, 2001. The ongoing investigation is (as of May 2006) still inconclusive.

On May 13, 2006 Polish president Lech Kaczyński and Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko attended a ceremony at the site in order to pay tribute to the victims, and to encourage historical reconciliation between Poland and Ukraine.

Controversy

While various sources differ on specific issues like the number of the victims or the details of the massacre, all agree that the Ukrainian villagers were murdered by Poles and that a former Armia Krajowa unit either participated directly or assisted in the killings. The Pawłokoma memorial places the number of victims at 365, the figure supported by IPN [http://www.naszdziennik.pl/index.php?typ=po&dat=20070310&id=po23.txt] and a number of Polish historians [Sowa, "Stosunki ...", p. 286] It is however questioned by a Polish historian Zdzisław Konieczny, author of a book on the Pawłokoma massacre [Konieczny, "Był taki czas ..."] claiming that some 150 Ukrainian men suspected of UPA membership had been killed, while women and children were ordered to leave in the direction of Bircza and Sanok. [Maksymiuk, "Ukraine..."]

Notes

References

* [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/5/4c935b0f-8009-48dc-93d8-95344832adc7.html Jan Maksymiuk: Ukraine, Poland Seek Reconciliation Over Grisly History] in Radio Free Europe NEWS article, May 12, 2006
* Lucyna Kulińska: "Pawłokoma" in "Dziennik Polski" nr 103, Kraków 2006
* cite book | first = Eugeniusz | last = Misiło | title = "Pawłokoma 3 III 1945 r." | language = Polish | location = Warszawa | year = 2006 | publisher = Ukar | isbn = 83-60309-02-7
* cite book | first = Andrzej L. | last = Sowa| title="Stosunki polsko-ukraińskie 1939-1947" | location= Kraków| year= 1998 |id= OCLC| 48053561
* cite book | last = Konieczny | first = Zdzisław | title="Był taki czas. U źródeł akcji odwetowej w Pawłokomie" | location = Przemyśl | year= 2000

ee also

* Huta Pieniacka
* Massacres of Poles in Volhynia