crimes committed by totalitarian regimes - Ministrstvo za pravosodje

Crimes committed by totalitarian regimes
The Public Education Office of The Institute of National Remembrance stages exhibitions which are
addressed to the public. So far more than 150 of these have been on, wherein most of them are presented
many times, at a number of localities throughout Poland. Some exhibitions have been translated into
other languages and presented in most European countries and the USA. All new exhibitions are now
accompanied by catalogues. Outdoor exhibitions, staged within major city locations, are particularly
popular.
Employees of the Public Education Office have co-authored dozens of documentaries and hundreds
of TV programmes dedicated to the modern history of Poland, and have offered expert historical advice
on a number projects of this kind. The Polish Television Theatre has recently produced some shows
based on facts, as depicted by the historians of The Institute of National Remembrance. This proves to
be a particularly effective method of popularisation of knowledge, reaching the public.
One should mention large-scale co-operation with the press, dailies and monthlies in particular.
Employees of the Public Education Office have published over 2,000 popular scientific articles so
far. Some periodicals feature special historical inserts prepared in collaboration with The Institute of
National Remembrance.
The Internet has been used on a larger scale since last year. Some projects have their own websites,
e.g. “Following the Traces of Crime”, described below. Two popular scientific portals have been launched
dealing with the Martial Law (www.13grudnia81.pl) and the March of 1968 (www.marzec68.pl).
They feature popular historical studies, witness accounts, documents and multimedia materials (clips,
photographs, recordings). It is also possible to download selected scientific publications by The Institute
of National Remembrance. Both portals have already won much recognition on the part of visitors.
The Public Education Office is also engaged in a number of documenting activities. There are two
nationwide projects. One, called “Notations”, deals with digital recording of hours of accounts made
by history witnesses – victims of the totalitarian systems. A film library, produced in this way, will be
rendered accessible for educational and scientific purposes in the future. The other project – “Following
the Traces of Crime” – aims to locate and document (in the form of photographs or video recordings)
places, as preserved, connected with the Communist terror, e.g. detention facilities, prisons, scaffolds of
execution, victim burial sites. Some of these places still bear traces of crimes that have been committed
there (wall inscriptions made by prisoners, traces of bullets, etc.). Alas, more and more places like this
undergo degradation and the repression reminders are being devastated.
The Institute of National Remembrance, performing its scientific and educational activity, cooperates
widely with schools, universities, statutory and local authorities, NGO’s, veteran associations,
museums and such like. Collaboration with international partners is crucial, too. Partner co-operation
with Czech, Lithuanian, German, Slovak and Ukrainian institutions has proved particularly vivid.
Updates on the Institute’s operations is to be found on the website of The Institute of National
Remembrance, at www.ipn.gov.pl.
4. Some conclusions resulting from the experience of The Institute of National
Remembrance
The activity of The Institute of National Remembrance indicates that the operation model based
on an institution combining the archives of crimes of totalitarian systems, the prosecutor’s department
running investigations, and the research and educational activity, proves efficient. International cooperation,
run on a constant and systematic basis, is crucial in this respect.
The Polish experience shows that full recognition and punishment of crimes committed by
totalitarian regimes requires the following:
– Undertaking attempts to identify and prosecute perpetrators, based on the principle of non
limitation of crime of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as prolongation
of the period of prescription in case of other crimes;
– Granting free access to records produced by totalitarian regimes (in particular by the Nazi and
Communist parties and the Nazi and Communist security apparatuses, courts, etc.) to victims and
researchers;
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