Priest's killer to be released today after serving 15-year jail sentence

Today, after 15 years in prison, the man who killed priest Jerzy Popieluszko will be released. Grzegorz Piotrowski, a former officer with the communist-era domestic security service, was found guilty together with two fellow officers, Waldemar Chmielewski and Leszek Pukala, of kidnapping and murdering the outspoken priest. Initially, in the mid-80s, Piotrowski was sentenced to 25 years, but the jail term was later reduced to 15 years. Last year Piotrowski caused a public outcry when, speaking on national television, he described the priest's death as an accident. According to rumors, after his release he is planning to take a job with Fakty i Mity, the weekly newspaper that recently published his memoirs. However, the possibility of the murderer becoming a journalist has drawn condemnation from media representatives, politicians and bishops. (Zycie, pp. 1, 4) M.T.