Janusz Krupski
Encyclopedia
Janusz Krupski was a Polish historian
, member of the democratic opposition to communist rule in Poland during the People's Republic of Poland
and a government official.
(who in 2010 briefly served as President of Poland, after the death of Lech Kaczynski
in the same plane crash in which Krupski died). Between 1977 and 1988 he was the chief editor of the independent, non-censored, underground journal Spotkania ("Meetings"). Originally Krupski planned to steal a ditto machine from the Socialist Union of Polish Students office to print the journal, but eventually decided that that was too risky. Instead Jegliński managed to obtain the machine in Paris, while on a study trip; he worked at a Paris pizzeria to get the money for it. The printing machine (private ownership of which was illegal under communism) was smuggled back into Poland by shipping it with a theater troupe as supposedly a piece of a stage set
. It was the first underground, privately owned oppositionist printing machine in post-World War II Poland. The first work printed on the machine was George Orwell
's Animal Farm
, also unavailable in communist Poland, although the quality of the material was so low due to the inexperience of Krupski and others that the copies had to be discarded. The students also used the printing machine to produce pamphlets outlining violations of human rights
by the communist government in Poland which were then smuggled to the West.
While still a student, Janusz met his future wife, Joanna.
branch. During the state of martial law in Poland
he was persecuted by the communist authorities. After ten months in hiding he was arrested and interned
by the authorities in a special Internment Camp. His mother made numerous appeals for his release on his behalf (Janusz himself refused to make them) but they were turned down.
In 1983, with the end of martial law he was released. However, soon after he was seized by functionaries of the communist secret police, the Służba Bezpieczeństwa (Security Services), taken to the Kampinos Forest
and burned with a mixture of phenol
and lysol
. The perpetrators had actually been ordered by their commander, Cpt. Grzegorz Piotrowski (who was also responsible for the murder of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko), to have Krupski strip completely naked before the acid was dumped on him so that the mixture would burn through his skin, damage his internal organs and kill him. They were supposed to have had thrown his body into a nearby water reservoir afterward. However, the policemen had been in such a hurry that they only made him take off his jacket and boots and as a result, the thick sweater he was wearing prevented most of the damage, saving his life. After the fall of communism, in 1991, an investigation was launched into the kidnapping and some of those responsible were identified. Along with Piotrowski, the political crime was ordered by Bohdan Kuliński. Documents also showed that at the time Piotrowski wrote to the chief of the secret police, Czesław Kiszczak, informing him that "Krupski is still alive".
extraordinary committee charged with examining the effects and consequences of the martial law in Poland of the early 80's. He was also the executive director of the publishing house "Krupski i S-ka" between 1993 and 2000. From 2000 until 2006 he was the vice-president of the Institute of National Remembrance
.
Krupski resumed editing the journal in post Communist Poland under a new title Editions: Spotkania in 1990 and continued to do so until 1992.
He died April 10, 2010 in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
near Smolensk
, Russia
. On April 16, 2010 Krupski was decorated posthumously with the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. Ten days after the crash, he was buried in the Military Cemetery in Warsaw.
At the time of his death, Krupski was the director of the Department of Combatants and Victims of Repression (Polish:Urzad do Spraw Kombatantów i Osób Represjonowanych). He resided with his wife and seven children in Grodzisk Mazowiecki
.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, member of the democratic opposition to communist rule in Poland during the People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic of Poland
The People's Republic of Poland was the official name of Poland from 1952 to 1990. Although the Soviet Union took control of the country immediately after the liberation from Nazi Germany in 1944, the name of the state was not changed until eight years later...
and a government official.
Studies and democratic opposition
Krupski acquired his degree in history at the Lublin Catholic University in 1975. While there he became friends with other future opposition leaders, such as Piotr Jegliński and Bogdan BorusewiczBogdan Borusewicz
Bogdan Michał Borusewicz, is the Speaker in the Polish Senate since 20 October 2005. Borusewicz was a democratic opposition activist under the Communist regime, a member of the Polish parliament for three terms and first Senate Speaker to serve two terms in this office.Borusewicz briefly served...
(who in 2010 briefly served as President of Poland, after the death of Lech Kaczynski
Lech Kaczynski
Lech Aleksander Kaczyński was Polish lawyer and politician who served as the President of Poland from 2005 until 2010 and as Mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 22 December 2005. Before he became a president, he was also a member of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość...
in the same plane crash in which Krupski died). Between 1977 and 1988 he was the chief editor of the independent, non-censored, underground journal Spotkania ("Meetings"). Originally Krupski planned to steal a ditto machine from the Socialist Union of Polish Students office to print the journal, but eventually decided that that was too risky. Instead Jegliński managed to obtain the machine in Paris, while on a study trip; he worked at a Paris pizzeria to get the money for it. The printing machine (private ownership of which was illegal under communism) was smuggled back into Poland by shipping it with a theater troupe as supposedly a piece of a stage set
Stagecraft
Stagecraft is a generic term referring to the technical aspects of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes, but is not limited to, constructing and rigging scenery, hanging and focusing of lighting, design and procurement of costumes, makeup, procurement of props, stage management, and...
. It was the first underground, privately owned oppositionist printing machine in post-World War II Poland. The first work printed on the machine was George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's Animal Farm
Animal Farm
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II...
, also unavailable in communist Poland, although the quality of the material was so low due to the inexperience of Krupski and others that the copies had to be discarded. The students also used the printing machine to produce pamphlets outlining violations of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
by the communist government in Poland which were then smuggled to the West.
While still a student, Janusz met his future wife, Joanna.
Martial law and afterwards
In 1980 he joined the Solidarity movement, and served on the coordinating committee of its GdańskGdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
branch. During the state of martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...
he was persecuted by the communist authorities. After ten months in hiding he was arrested and interned
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
by the authorities in a special Internment Camp. His mother made numerous appeals for his release on his behalf (Janusz himself refused to make them) but they were turned down.
In 1983, with the end of martial law he was released. However, soon after he was seized by functionaries of the communist secret police, the Służba Bezpieczeństwa (Security Services), taken to the Kampinos Forest
Kampinos Forest
Kampinos Forest is a large forest complex located to the west of Warsaw in Poland. It covers a large part of the ancient valley of Vistula, between Vistula and Bzura rivers. Once a gigantic forest covering 670 km² of central Poland, it currently covers roughly 240 km².Most of the...
and burned with a mixture of phenol
Phenol
Phenol, also known as carbolic acid, phenic acid, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5OH. It is a white crystalline solid. The molecule consists of a phenyl , bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is produced on a large scale as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds...
and lysol
Lysol
Lysol is a trade name for common household cleanersLysol may also refer to:* Lysol , a 1992 album by The Melvins* Lysol , Actor muMs da Schemer played Lysol in The Mad Real World skit on Chappelle's Show....
. The perpetrators had actually been ordered by their commander, Cpt. Grzegorz Piotrowski (who was also responsible for the murder of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko), to have Krupski strip completely naked before the acid was dumped on him so that the mixture would burn through his skin, damage his internal organs and kill him. They were supposed to have had thrown his body into a nearby water reservoir afterward. However, the policemen had been in such a hurry that they only made him take off his jacket and boots and as a result, the thick sweater he was wearing prevented most of the damage, saving his life. After the fall of communism, in 1991, an investigation was launched into the kidnapping and some of those responsible were identified. Along with Piotrowski, the political crime was ordered by Bohdan Kuliński. Documents also showed that at the time Piotrowski wrote to the chief of the secret police, Czesław Kiszczak, informing him that "Krupski is still alive".
In post communist Poland
After the fall of communism he was a member of a SejmSejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
extraordinary committee charged with examining the effects and consequences of the martial law in Poland of the early 80's. He was also the executive director of the publishing house "Krupski i S-ka" between 1993 and 2000. From 2000 until 2006 he was the vice-president of the Institute of National Remembrance
Institute of National Remembrance
Institute of National Remembrance — Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation is a Polish government-affiliated research institute with lustration prerogatives and prosecution powers founded by specific legislation. It specialises in the legal and historical sciences and...
.
Krupski resumed editing the journal in post Communist Poland under a new title Editions: Spotkania in 1990 and continued to do so until 1992.
He died April 10, 2010 in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
The 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 April 2010, when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed near the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board...
near Smolensk
Smolensk
Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. On April 16, 2010 Krupski was decorated posthumously with the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. Ten days after the crash, he was buried in the Military Cemetery in Warsaw.
At the time of his death, Krupski was the director of the Department of Combatants and Victims of Repression (Polish:Urzad do Spraw Kombatantów i Osób Represjonowanych). He resided with his wife and seven children in Grodzisk Mazowiecki
Grodzisk Mazowiecki
Grodzisk Mazowiecki is a town in central Poland with 26,881 inhabitants in 2006. It is 30 km. southwest of Warsaw.Between 1975 and 1998 it was situated in the Warszawa Voivodeship but since 1999 it has been situated in the Masovian Voivodeship. It is the capital of Grodzisk Mazowiecki...
.