Convicted Niezależne Zrzeszenie Studentów Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego

Abstract

The article discusses the arrest, the trial and the imprisonment of students of the University of Gdańsk during martial law in Poland (December 13, 1981, to July 22 1983). The students were printing illegal leaflets and bulletins and were arrested on December 20 1981. The trial took place in front of the Naval Court in Gdynia, which sentenced them on February 3: Cezary Godziuk – 6 years of imprisonment and 4 years of Disfranchisement, Sławomir Sadowski – 5 and 3 years respectively, Krzysztof Jankowski – 5 and 3 years, Jarosław Skowronek – 5 and 3 years, Marek Czachor – 3 and 2 years. These were the highest judgments in Poland against students. Martial law authorities, fearing illegal activities at universities and street demonstrations in Gdansk, wanted to intimidate the academic community and hence such high sentences. During the trial, the basic principles of its conduct were broken, which later allowed an effective appeal against the judgment. The prisoners did not break down, and they did not hand any denunciation on other activists, who were continuing their underground activity. While serving their sentences, they took up self-  education hoping to return to the University. It was later possible because, despite pressure from the prosecutor’s office and party apparatus, Rector Robert Głębocki (and the disciplinary committee) – believed that the same act could not be punished twice. Therefore, to any student of the University of Gdansk, who was punished by an offence college or court for political activities, disciplinary committees did not issue a decision on expulsion. All those convicted before the Navy Court were released from serving their sentence in 1983 and returned to the studies. Their attitude, as well as one of the University’s authorities, is one of the bright pages of the history of the University of Gdańsk.