At the 51st session of the Sejm, the draft Act on "reparing victims and families of victims of crimes committed against a national, spiritual or racial background from 1945 to 1946" (print No 2030) is being considered. The explanatory memorandum for the task was presented by Anna Maria Żukowska. In her speech she referred, among others, to the figure of Romuald Rajs, ps. “Bury”, putting him together with Russian president Vladimir Putin and naming both as genocidal killers. Prof. Andrzej Zapalowski of the Confederacy replied strongly.
The task raised opposition to any parliamentary groups. The Confederacy and the Law and Justice have requested its rejection at first reading. Prof. Andrzej Zapalowski spoke on behalf of the Confederacy, who criticised the proposal of the Left in appropriate words. He stated that the task was unwarranted in historical, legal and substantive terms, as well as, in his opinion, an effort to defend people cooperating with the communist safety apparatus. Zapalowski accused the Left of defending collaborators, arguing that the actions of the post-war guerrillas, including the “Bury” branch, were directed against communist collaborators, not motivated by national or spiritual reasons.
The parliamentarian besides stressed that Romuald Rajs was rehabilitated by a court ruling in 1995. In his opinion, the bill settles in the good name of the soldiers of the independency underground. He recalled that Rajs was decorated, among others, with the Order of Virtuti Militari, the conflict Cross and the Cross of Merit.
The project's authors estimation that about 100 people or families could claim compensation, and the full cost of benefits would be about PLN 5 million. The proposed benefit would be one-off and would only be granted to the rightholder; in the event of his death after the application, it would enter the inheritance. Applications could be submitted within 10 years of the entry into force of the Act (or the final conclusion of the IPN investigation) and would be examined by the Head of the Office for Combatants and Represented Persons.
"Witness and Investigator of Genocide Crime in Volyn and east Malopolska" — Monika Śladewska: https://sklep-wrawo.pl/p/witness-i-research-criminal-humanity-in-volyn-i-in-malopolsce-eastern-monika-sladewska/
