A new educational website has been launched by the Institute of National Remembrance on the occasion of the 28. anniversary of Martial Law.

On December 13, 1981 the Military Council of National Salvation, headed by General Wojciech Jaruzelski, imposed Martial Law in Poland. On that day, hopes of millions of Poles about democratic changes have been crushed for many years. Martial Law has brought great suffering to thousands of people and their families - isolation in internment camps, imprisonment, deprivation of employment and other repressive measures. Dozens of innocent people lost their lives.

The discussion continues whether the imposition of Martial Law and related crimes can be in any way justified. The controversy remains whether in 1981 Poland was threatened by the intervention of the Warsaw Pact troops. The Institute of National Remembrance wishes to facilitate this debate by presenting basic facts, chronology of events and the witnesses’ accounts on the website http://martiallaw.pl/.