“It is good that the excavation case has been unblocked, but it should be clearly stated who did this, who started this process, who is the entity that is engaged in it and has been given permission. And it is the Freedom and Democracy Foundation,” says Piotr Gliński in an interview for the wPolityce.pl portal
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on the X platform that a decision had been made on the first exhumations of Polish victims of the UPA. The head of government thanked the Ministers of Culture of Poland and Ukraine for the good cooperation.
Ukrainian Deputy Culture Minister for European Integration Andriy Najos told PAP that Ukraine and Poland have exchanged lists of places for searching and excavating the remains of mutual historical conflicts. Najos, who also heads the Polish-Ukrainian Working Group on Historical Issues from the Ukrainian Side, assured of positive intentions to resolve disputes on this topic.
PiS’s clear position
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Professor Piotr Gliński, points out in an interview on the portal wPolityce.pl that Law and Justice had a clear negotiating strategy in which there was no room for concessions to Ukraine.
What we meant were searches and exhumations, i.e. the basic things that need to be done regarding victims who have not been buried, but thrown into pits. And that is why we have not talked about commemorating Ukrainians in Poland or Poles there, because in order to commemorate, the victim must first be found and buried. And that was our priority
– he points out.
The Ukrainians did not want to agree to this, because in return they demanded concessions regarding the commemoration of UPA members in general. It was about “Monastyr”, but not only that. They wanted to exchange some letters. However, we said, “Wait a minute, before we go any further with memorials, let’s do a few basic things. Yours are buried in cemeteries, but ours haven’t even been found yet.” There is no symmetry here and in fact there cannot be, because it involved the slaughter of civilians
– say.
The Puźniki Massacre
Piotr Gliński points out that in the current situation, the politicians of the current government probably want to get permission from the Ukrainians for excavations in the village of Puźniki.
We, the Morawiecki government, started it in this Puźniki, and the Freedom and Democracy Foundation did it on behalf of the government. And more than two years ago, she submitted an application through the Polish embassy for a house search in the village of Puźniki in the Tarnopol region. It was the massacre of the inhabitants of a Polish village in February 1945, that is, after the main massacres in Volhynia.
– indicates.
And we wanted permission to look for these victims because we knew they had been thrown into a grave and buried somewhere. And this search took place. They were carried out by the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, and politically it is a foundation linked to Michał Dworczyk and now opposed by Tusk and under control, like many other entities. She had been there for years and was concerned with Polish heritage. These funds for her, which are questionable, that in our time she received a lot of money, she received them for such things, because she was present there, she had good contacts with Ukrainians, so that is the only reason why she could effectively be there are . And I made sure that representatives of the Polish Institute of National Remembrance were present during these searches, and the Ukrainian side was also there, to make sure that Ukrainian law was respected.
– adds our interlocutor.
Piotr Gliński explains that the search took several months because the witnesses’ descriptions were not accurate due to the passage of time and a lot had changed during that time.
It was so inaccurate that the search took a very long time. They lasted two or three months, if not longer. And finally I was able to find it. It was probably September 2023 and then the foundation applied for the next step, which is excavations, and unfortunately there was no decision, there was constant talk, the foundation representatives talked about when that would happen. When I was a minister, I also talked and tried to speed it up. There were no such decisions
– he points out.
Dispute
The former deputy prime minister indicates that there was no permission because the Polish authorities did not agree to commemorate UPA members in our country.
There was none, among other things, because we did not agree to any concession to commemorate UPA members. We believed that every victim deserves a funeral, a cross and a prayer, but the issue of commemoration is a very political issue, because it is an issue related to paying tribute to the victims, and it is difficult to pay tribute to the Ukrainians, even those murdered by the KBW and the NKVD, who, according to historians, murdered Poles two months before. These are very difficult matters and that is why we have not agreed to such reciprocity. And that is why these excavations were blocked
– he explains.
At the moment we hear that there is a permit, but we don’t know exactly what it is, but the Freedom and Democracy Foundation confirms it and thinks that it will probably soon have the right “paper” and that it will be possible in April, because it is a matter of the time of year, start digging up and burying these victims. This foundation should do it together with the Institute of National Remembrance, because it is the foundation that applied for this and is the lead agency.
– continues Gliński.
It’s good that the block is being lifted, but it should be clearly stated who did it, who started this process, who is the entity handling it and getting permission. And it is the Freedom and Democracy Foundation
– he emphasizes.
We are still waiting
Finally, Piotr Gliński draws attention to another important aspect of this issue.
We appreciate that there is permission for excavations after the first permission for searches, but it should be added that about 10 applications from the Institute of National Remembrance for excavations have been submitted to Ukraine and so far these applications have not been processed and these are requests about Volhynia. Because what we are talking about now is a side issue that we appreciate, but Puźniki near Tarnopol is not even in Volhynia and these are not victims of the Volhynia massacre in the strict sense, although they are the same victims, the same ones killed by the UPA . However, we are waiting for completely obvious decisions regarding Volhynia
– sums up.
Gliński reveals
Earlier, Piotr Gliński revealed new light on Ukraine’s permission for excavations in a series of social media posts.
Regarding permission for excavations. More than two years ago, Morawiecki’s government was authorized to search for the victims of the crime committed by the UPA in 1945 in the village of Puźniki near Tarnopol.
– indicates.
After many months of work by the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, with the participation of our Institute of National Remembrance and the Ukrainian side, the victims were found… About a year ago, the Foundation collaborated with Ukrainian archaeologists, as they met the requirements in Ukraine, submitted a request for exhumation
– he continues.
The question is whether the “breakthrough” announced by Tusk is really a new opening (a dozen applications for permission to search and excavate are being processed at the University of Warsaw – mainly from the Institute of National Remembrance) or simply the completion of actions and procedures initiated during the Morawiecki government?
– asks the politician.
Because if this is the completion of our actions, it means that Mr. Tusk is once again signing off on someone else’s work…
– he points out.
READ ALSO:
— The government claims that the victims of the Volhynian massacre will be exhumed. Professor Gliński asks: “Mr. Prime Minister Tusk, what breakthrough?”
– Tusk attacked Nawrocki regarding his position on the Volhynia massacre. He tried to substantiate his accusations with the figure of Lech Kaczyński
— According to Tusk, permission has been granted for the exhumation of Polish victims of the UPA. Nawrocki responds: We at the Institute of National Remembrance have been fully prepared and determined for years
Adrian Siwek/wPolityce.pl/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.