Two Polish resistance fighters killed by communists 71 years ago
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
28.08.2017 14:00
Monday marks 71 years since two members of Poland’s underground Home Army (AK), Danuta Siedzikówna and Feliks Selmanowicz, were executed by the communist regime after World War II.
Danuta Siedzikówna (Inka); Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=801520
Siedzikówna (also known as Inka, her nom de guerre) was a medical orderly and was executed when she was just 17 years old.
She was killed together with Selmanowicz (codename Zagończyk) in the northern city of Gdańsk on 28 August 1946, by the Soviet-backed communist regime that came to power in Poland after World War II.
Many who had served in the Home Army (AK), the underground force loyal to the Polish government-in-exile in the UK, were victims of a wave of terror after the war, were vilified as enemies of the state, killed and buried secretly in unnamed graves.
Inka’s and Zagończyk’s remains were found in late 2014 by a team from Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) led by Krzysztof Szwagrzyk
A year ago, a funeral with special honours for the two resistance fighters took place in Gdańsk.
The funeral ceremonies, which marked the 70th anniversary of their execution, were attended by senior Polish officials, including President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Beata Szydło.
A decision to posthumously promote the two heroes was announce during a Mass before the funeral.
President Andrzej Duda said at the time: "A country needs heroes to be strong and to be able to bring up the next generations. And Poland has heroes!" (str/pk)
Source: PAP