| Summary: | Topical reviews of Polish samizdat publications in English prepared by RFE staff members to be used by different national broadcasting units. PIPR was published from 1986 until November 1989 as a continuation of Polish Underground Extracts (PUE).
The Freedom and Peace Movement in Poland
Introduction / by Michał KołodziejThe current issue of the Polish Independent Press Review is devoted entirely to the independent pacifist movement in Poland. The movement, using the name Freedom and Peace (Wolność i Pokój), was founded in the spring of 1985 and seems to be enjoying widespread and rising popularity. Its main concern is with refusing to serve in the Polish Army. This refusal is prompted not only by the text of the oath taken by draftees, but also by the role of the army in a communist state. The group's point of departure is that any state's policy of peace is inseparable from the democratic freedoms guaranteed to its citizens; the group, therefore, emphasizes individual freedom as much it does peace. It believes that the word peace is abused in official statements and that the concept of peace is tailored to suit the political needs of the party and therefore bears little resemblance to what one normally understands by the word. The general public has no influence over the state's peace policy, the group says, nor any control over official decisions that could threaten peace. The members of the Peace and Freedom movement stage peaceful protests and work with the independent underground press to publicize their cause. They also have their own publications.
Reasons for a Peace Movement in Poland / by Michał KołodziejThe Polish peace movement arose as a protest against the army's role in Poland. It is argued, and the text of the Polish military oath is used as evidence, that the army is there not to defend Polish independence but to help maintain the Soviet hold on Poland.
The Emergence of the Freedom and Peace Movement / by Michał KołodziejThe case of Marek Adamkiewicz, imprisoned for refusing to take the oath of allegiance after being drafted, provided the impetus for founding the Freedom and Peace movement. Its aim was to spread the idea of social peace based on individual freedom.
The Authorities' Reaction to the Freedom and Peace Movement / by Michał KołodziejThe first official reaction to the young men who in 1985, following the case of Marek Adamkiewicz returned their draft cards, was a campaign of slander and high fines. The next stage included trials and prison sentences. Since the fall of 1986, however, conscientious objectors have been released from jail, and there is official talk of allowing draftees to do alternative service.
Freedom and Peace and the Western Peace Movements / by Michał KołodziejThe Freedom and Peace movement has long maintained contacts with peace movements in the West. This paper provides a brief survey of those contacts.
Freedom and Peace on Human Rights and Social Issues / by Michał KołodziejThis paper surveys the activities of the Freedom and Peace movement in support of human rights and on social issues, such as its fight against the state monopoly on information, its concern for the environment, and its support for European integration.
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