crimes committed by totalitarian regimes - Ministrstvo za pravosodje

Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes
authorities that were produced in connection with the key events in the history of the Peoples’ Republic
of Poland: the Poznan June 1956, the March 1968, the December 1970 protests, the 1976 protests in
Radom and Ursus, the establishment of the Independent Self-governing Trade Union “Solidarity” and
the Martial Law, as well as ones pertaining to fighting against the Polish democratic opposition. A
part of the resources comprises collections of legislative acts concerning state security authorities (e.g.
ordinances, resolutions, decisions, orders, circular letters, and personal orders). Some of the files, as
obtained by the Institute, are in the form of microfilms.
Documents of the military security services comprise materials handed over mainly by the Military
Information Services. These were received exclusively by the Office for Preservation and Dissemination
of Archival Records. These groups of archival records comprise mostly operational documentation and
dossiers of officers and civilians employed by the military security services (the Information of the
Polish Army, the Military Internal Service and the Main Directorate II of the General Staff of the Polish
Army). The Office for Preservation and Dissemination of Archival Records has also other records
produced by the military security services, including files of military courts and prosecutor’s offices,
handed over by the Central Military Archives (Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe), the archives of the
Ministry of National Defence (Archiwum Instytucji Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej), the archives of
the Polish Air Forces and Air Defence (Archiwum Wojsk Lotniczych i Obrony Powietrznej), and the
archives of the Polish Land Forces (Archiwum Wojsk Ladowych) in Warsaw, as well as the National
Archives of the Capital City of Warsaw.
Another file group is made of documents obtained from the archives of the Correctional Service of
Poland (Sluzba Wiezienna). These comprise mainly penitentiary files of persons who were victimised
by the state for political reasons, including people sent to internment camps under the Martial Law.
The Office for Preservation and Dissemination of Archival Records has obtained files from the Main
Directorate of the Correctional Service of Poland (Centralny Zarzad Sluzby Wieziennej) and from units
reporting to the District Inspectorate of the Correctional Service of Poland (Okregowy Inspektorat
Sluzby Wieziennej) in Warsaw, whereas the Branch Offices received files originating from other district
inspectorates.
The archival resources of The Institute of National Remembrance are also made up of case files
of people who were repressed for political reasons, produced by common courts of law and public
prosecutor’s offices. Most of them come from the 70s and 80s of the 20 th century.
A slight portion of the stock comprises materials delivered by individuals by means of donations.
These materials deal with important events in the history of the state and nation. Sent or handed over in
person, they frequently constitute most valuable personal memorabilia.
In order to grant access to as many documents as possible of the ones produced by the state
security authorities, a simplified mode of file preparation was applied, which was reduced to listing the
files by electronic, and thus more precise, means.
Following the 2007 amendment of the Act on The Institute of National Remembrance and the
Act on disclosure of information about documents of the security services of the years 1944–90, as
well as the content of such documents, access to the documents contained within the archives of the
Institute has become a general right. Limitation with respect to access to the files concerns only people
who used to employees, officers or secret informers or operational aids. Such persons have the right
to access materials that concern themselves, excluding ones that were produced in connection with
the work, service or undercover collaboration. Moreover, such persons are not entitled, as opposed
to the other applicants, to receive copies of documents or personal data of employees and officers of
the Communist state security authorities. Each citizen has also acquired the right to access documents
pertaining to public figures, as listed in the Act on disclosure of information about documents of the
security services. The Institute of National Remembrance is obliged to publish, in the Public Information
Bulletin, information about documents, as collected by itself, concerning public figures. General access
to such data will be safeguarded via publication thereof on the Internet. Irrespectively of the electronic
form in which to access documents concerning public figures, everyone may familiarise him-/herself,
on submission of a referent application form, with these in person in one of the 11 Branches of the
Institute. What is crucial, apart from access to documents concerning public figures, each citizen may
apply to be granted access to data concerning people who performed managerial functions in the Polish
Workers’ Party, the Polish United Workers’ Party, the United Peoples’ Party (Zjednoczone Stronnictwo
Ludowe) and the Democratic Party (Stronnictwo Demokratyczne), as well as ones who were members
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