Amnesty for Polish citizens in the Soviet Union

Amnesty for Polish citizens in the Soviet Union

Amnesty for Polish citizens in USSR refers to an amnesty in USSR for those deprived of their freedom, Stanislaw Mikolajczyk "The Pattern of Soviet Domination", Sampson Low, Marston & Co 1948, Pages 17-19] resulting in temporary stop of persecutions of Polish citizens under Soviet control.Fact|date=August 2008 .

Soviet Union has invaded Poland in 1939, Steven J. Zaloga "Poland 1939", Osprey, 2003, ISBN 1-84176-408-6] , breaking relations with the Polish government and repressing Polish citizens on the occupied territories, G.C.Malcher "Blank Pages Soviet Genocide Against the Polish People", Pyrford, 1993, ISBN 1-8897984-00-6] . The outbreak of the Soviet-German War in 1941 and Sikorski-Mayski Negotiations , Michael Hope "Polish Deportees in the Soviet Union", Veritas, 2005, ISBN 0-948202-76-9] have led to the change of Soviet policies towards the Poles, as leniency was needed if Soviets were to recruit and create a Polish force under their command. On 12 August that year Soviets issued an amnesty to Polish citizens , Tomasz Piesakowski "The Fate of Poles in the USSR 1939~1989", Gryf, 1990, ISBN 0-901342-24-6] .

Those who could prove they were Polish citizens had their citizenship restored (it was annulled in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion in 1939); there was no clear definition of the "Polish citizenship" and eventually the Soviets limited it only to Polish ethnicity (which "de facto" covered some Polish Jews, but not the Ukrainian or Belorussians who were former citizens of the Second Polish Republic). The decree did not cover people imprisoned or under investigation; and it was common for 'special cases' to be denied the amnesty on technical grounds, Michael Krupa "Shallow Graves in Siberia", Birlinn, 2004, ISBN 1 84341 012 5] or even denied information about the amnesty, Jan T. Gross & Irena Gross (Editors) "War Through Children's Eyes" Hoover Institution ISBN 0-8179-7471-7 Page xxv ] or the possibility of joining the Polish forces, Tomasz Piesakowski "The Fate of Poles in the USSR 1939~1989", Gryf, 1990, ISBN 0-901342-24-6] . Also some commanders of the labour camps refused to lease Polish citizens enslaved in them, Stanislaw Mikolajczyk "The Pattern of Soviet Domination", Sampson Low, Marston & Co 1948, Pages 17-19] . According to NKVD document of 1 August, 381 220 people were to be covered by the amnesty.

The term amnesty is criticized in Polish historiography, Stanislaw Mikolajczyk "The Pattern of Soviet Domination", Sampson Low, Marston & Co 1948, Pages 17-19] , as it implies the Soviet Union had a legal basis for persecute Polish citizens (some of whom, for example, were persecuted for "treason of Soviet Union" - even through they committed as Polish citizens in independent Poland, not breaking any Polish laws).

After the Anders Army left Soviet sphere of influence, repressions towards the Polish citizens reintensified. Stalin affectively revoked the Amnesty on 16th January 1943 , Klaus Hergt "Exiled to Siberia", Crescent Lake 2000, ISBN 0-9700432-0-1] when all Polish citizens including Ethnic Poles were once again declared part of the population of the Soviet Union, F.A.Voigt "Poland, Russia and Great Britain", 1943 ]

ee also

*Katyn massacre
*Polish areas annexed by the Soviet Union
*Repatriation of Poles
*Soviet repressions of Polish citizens (1939-1946)

References

Further reading

* Micheal Hope, "The Abandoned Legion", ISBN 1-904639-09-7
* Jan T. Gross, "Revolution From Abroad", ISBN 0-691-09603-1
* Lucjan Krolikowski "Stolen Childhood", ISBN 0-595-16863-9
* Norman Davies "God's Playground Volume II 1795 to the present" ISBN 0-19-821944-X
* Tadeusz Piotrowski "Poland's Holocast" ISBN 0-7864-0371-3


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