Stefan Aleksander Okrzeja
Encyclopedia
Stefan Aleksander Okrzeja (ˈstɛfan alɛˈksandɛr ɔˈkʂɛja; born 3 April 1886 in Dębe Wielkie, Mińsk County
, executed 21 July 1905 in Warsaw
) was a Polish worker, socialist and activist for Poland's independence.
(PPS) in 1904, soon becoming a member of it’s Warsaw Committee. He took part in many anti-tsarist demonstrations. During the famous demonstration on Grzybowski Square on 13 November 1904 he was the one who carried the red banner. He became a key member of the Combat Organization. Warsaw combat party was responsible for protecting workers meetings and demonstrations and was organizing attacks against Russian police officers or high rank officials. Okrzeja distinguished himself in many combat actions as a commander of a party consisted of ten fighters.
. The explosion demolished the post, but Okrzeja was within the range. Badly wounded and unable to escape, he was arrested and imprisoned in the infamous 10th Pavilion of Warsaw Citadel
. According to the fact he was caught red-handed, the trial before a district court was very short, despite the passionate defence by Stanisław Patek. Okrzeja was sentenced to death and executed soon afterwards, on 21 July 1905.
Debe Wielkie, Minsk County
Dębe Wielkie is a village in Mińsk County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Dębe Wielkie. It lies approximately west of Mińsk Mazowiecki and east of Warsaw....
, executed 21 July 1905 in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
) was a Polish worker, socialist and activist for Poland's independence.
Early life and activism
Stefan Okrzeja was a son of a railway track-walker. He worked as a painter, than as an iron worker in various factories in Warsaw. He joined the illegal Polish Socialist PartyPolish Socialist Party
The Polish Socialist Party was one of the most important Polish left-wing political parties from its inception in 1892 until 1948...
(PPS) in 1904, soon becoming a member of it’s Warsaw Committee. He took part in many anti-tsarist demonstrations. During the famous demonstration on Grzybowski Square on 13 November 1904 he was the one who carried the red banner. He became a key member of the Combat Organization. Warsaw combat party was responsible for protecting workers meetings and demonstrations and was organizing attacks against Russian police officers or high rank officials. Okrzeja distinguished himself in many combat actions as a commander of a party consisted of ten fighters.
Last action, trial and execution
On 26 March 1905, Okrzeja made an attempt to assassinate a police officer. He threw a bomb into the police post on Wileńska Street on PragaPraga
Praga is a historical borough of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. It is located on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter.- History :...
. The explosion demolished the post, but Okrzeja was within the range. Badly wounded and unable to escape, he was arrested and imprisoned in the infamous 10th Pavilion of Warsaw Citadel
Warsaw Citadel
Cytadela is a 19th-century fortress in Warsaw, Poland. It was built by order of Tsar Nicholas I after the suppression of the 1830 November Uprising in order to bolster imperial Russian control of the city. It served as a prison into the late 1930s.- History :The Citadel was built by personal...
. According to the fact he was caught red-handed, the trial before a district court was very short, despite the passionate defence by Stanisław Patek. Okrzeja was sentenced to death and executed soon afterwards, on 21 July 1905.