Commemorations across the country have included the awarding of state honours to former anti-communist opposition activists and a nationwide appeal to light candles in memory of the victims.
In Warsaw, a ceremony was held at the former Mokotów Prison on Rakowiecka Street – now the Museum of the Cursed Soldiers and Political Prisoners of the Polish People’s Republic – where the Crosses of Freedom and Solidarity were presented to opposition activists from the years 1956–1989.
The head of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) archives, Marzena Kruk, said the awards were a gesture of gratitude for "courage, integrity and commitment to freedom" shown by anti-communist activists.
Later in the evening, a remembrance event under the slogan "To the Victims of Martial Law. Light the Candle of Freedom" took place at Piłsudski Square in central Warsaw, with President Karol Nawrocki in attendance.
Poland's head of state said martial law had not been a "lesser evil", but a betrayal of the Polish nation and "evil in its purest form".
He added that Poland would never forget either the victims of martial law or those responsible for imposing it.
The IPN has also encouraged people to light candles in their homes as a sign of remembrance and attachment to the values of solidarity and freedom.
The initiative refers to symbolic gestures made in the 1980s by US President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, who expressed solidarity with Poles during the crackdown.
In a message marking the anniversary, President Nawrocki said Poles would "never forget the victims of martial law," including miners killed during the pacification of the Wujek coal mine in December 1981, demonstrators shot by security forces, and those who died as a result of repression and torture.
He also recalled the wave of emigration that followed, with nearly one million people leaving the country.
The US ambassador to Poland, Thomas Rose, paid tribute on social media, describing the imposition of martial law as a "desperate but failed attempt to crush the Polish spirit."
He said the United States remained committed to Warsaw, adding that "Poland's history teaches a timeless lesson the world must never forget: freedom wins when the brave refuse to bow."
On the morning of 13 December 1981, state radio and television broadcast General Wojcieh Jaruzelski’s address announcing the introduction of martial law, while security forces simultaneously began mass arrests across the country.
Power was handed to the Military Council of National Salvation, and troops were deployed to the streets in an attempt to crush mass protests and halt the democratic changes set in motion by the Solidarity movement in 1980.
Martial law lasted 586 days, until July 1983.
During that time, around 10,000 opposition activists were interned, most independent media outlets were shut down, strikes were banned and public life was heavily militarised.
According to various estimates, between several dozen and more than 100 people lost their lives.
(ał)
Source: PAP, IAR