Second trial opens of former interior minister accused in 1981 shootings

The trial of former interior minister General Czeslaw Kiszczak opened yesterday at a district court in Warsaw. General Kiszczak is accused of responsibility for the tragedy that occurred at the Wujek and Manifest Lipcowy coal mines in December 1981. This is the second time the general has stood trial over the incident, with prosecutors accusing him of allowing the police to use firearms, which led to the deaths of nine miners. In a previous trial five years ago, he was found not guilty, a decision that was later overturned by the Court of Appeal. This time, Kiszczak has again declared his innocence, and says that he does not understand the charges against him. In a 40-page statement, the former interior minister argues that his orders to the police officer responsible for the actions at the mines contained only information about the recent introduction of martial law, and that under the new regulations the use of firearms was in fact restricted. (Rzeczpospolita, pp.A1,C1, Gazeta Wyborcza pp.1,6) M.K.