Washington DC, February 6, 2008 - At an extraordinary General Membership meeting on February 5,

Washington DC, February 6, 2008 - At an extraordinary General Membership meeting on February 5,2008, the Washington Metropolitan Area Division of the Polish American Congress passed the followingresolution:Concern About Recent Events in PolandThe Polish American Congress, Washington Metropolitan Division, notes the significant support ofAmerican Polonia for the liberation of Poland from Soviet domination and expresses concern overrecent developments that seem to indicate an erosion of freedom in Poland। Several recent eventsappear to be evidence that some political forces may wish to glorify the communist period, hampertransparency and the rule of law, limit religious freedom, and muzzle the media. Such actions harmPoland's standing in West and require an immediate response by the government of Polish PrimeMinister Donald Tusk and by the Polish Head of State, President Lech Kaczynski.Among the worrisome events reported are:* Appointment of former communist Marek Borowski to chair the Sejm xxxx xxx committee dealing withPolish communities abroad; * Orders by the Minister of Foreign Affairs restricting Polish diplomats' contact with Polonia andPolonian organizations (in one such case, Polish diplomats withdrew their participation in the 150thanniversary celebration of a blacklisted organization); * Return of portraits of communist Ministers of Education (including Henryk Jablonski, who repressedstudent protests in 1968) to a place of honor in the Ministry of Education; * Non-disbursement by the Minister of Higher Education of EU funds previously awarded to over 30institutions of higher learning (including the Catholic University of Lublin and the Higher Schoolof Public and Media Culture in Toruñ), even though this action strikes a severe blow that canundermine these schools financially (this decision directly targets independent Catholic collegesand universities);* Implementation of strict limits on journalists' access to the Polish Parliament; * Calls by a well-known Member of the Sejm, who belongs to the governing Civic Platform, for thisparty to "finish off" a noted Polish priest that he views as a political opponent; * The unexplained removal of Poland's largest-circulation Catholic daily from the newspapers offeredto passengers on Poland's national airline.In light of the above, we urge both Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Polish President LechKaczynski to investigate immediately these events and to ensure that Poland's hard-won freedom willnot be undermined. In particular, funding to KUL and other institutions of higher learning needs tobe restored, harassment of the media and journalists ended, and attempts to minimize the crimes ofcommunism stopped. Polish freedom, a long-term accomplishment for all Poles, is too valuable to bediluted or squandered for short-sighted, temporary political purposes.


Rezolucja uchwalona na Walnym Zgromadzeniu członków Kongresu Polonii Amerykańskiej w Oddziale Metropolii Waszyngtońskiej na temat ostatnich wydarzeń w Polsce
Thaddeus Mirecki - Członek Zarządu Kongresu Polonii Amerykańskiej (2008-02-07)
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