20th Anniversary of Wujek coal mine massacre passes without fanfare

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the killing of nine miners at Silesia's Wujek coal mine by Communist militia and the army. The attack against the miners, who were protesting against the imposition of martial law in Poland, took place on December 16, 1981. None of the former militia members were convicted over the course of two trials held after Communism's collapse in Poland in 1989. The Solidarity trade union issued a statement decrying the court rulings. "One can have the impression that the Polish courts are still defending martial law, political murderers and their superiors," read the statement. Yesterday's commemorative events were not attended by any representatives of the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)-led government, aside from the leader of the Silesian voivodship. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 12) T.J.