Język Polski
English
The Struggle of Convicted Prisoners of the Martial Law Decree (1982-1983) for Political Prisoner Status: The Case of Hrubieszów Penitentiary Institution
Abstract
This article examines the struggle for political prisoner status undertaken by individuals convicted under the 1981 martial law decree, focusing on those imprisoned in the Hrubieszów Penitentiary Institution during 1982-1983. The draconian legislation implemented under martial law fostered an environment of lawlessness, wherein law and moral principles were systematically violated by officers of the Milicja Obywatelska (MO; Citizens’ Militia), Służba Bezpieczeństwa (SB; Security Service), prosecutors, judges, military personnel, and prison administration staff. Political prisoners held in Hrubieszów prison for their opposition to the communist regime shared a common foundation of patriotic beliefs and values. Driven by these principles, they engaged in a collective struggle to uphold their dignity, beliefs, and health. However, they were ultimately unsuccessful in securing formal political prisoner status, and any temporary relaxation of prison rigours lacked legal foundation within the established prison regulations.
Keywords:
martial law decree, political prisoners, political prisoner statusDetails
References
Statistics
Authors
Citation rules
Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.