Janusz Krupski
Janusz Krupski | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 May 1951 |
| Died | 10 April 2010 (aged 58) |
| Occupation(s) | Historian, opposition activist, government official |
| Known for | Democratic resistance in communist Poland; Vice-president of the Institute of National Remembrance; director of the Department of Combatants and Victims of Repression |
Janusz Krupski (born 9 May 1951 – died 10 April 2010) was a distinguished Polish historian and an active participant in the democratic resistance against communist governance during the era of the People's Republic of Poland. He also held a governmental position later in his career.
Education and involvement in opposition movements
Krupski earned his history degree from the Lublin Catholic University in 1975. During his studies, he formed close associations with future opposition figures, including Piotr Jegliński and Bogdan Borusewicz—the latter briefly acted as President of Poland in 2010 following the death of Lech Kaczynski, who perished in the same air disaster as Krupski.[1] From 1977 until 1988, he served as the lead editor of Spotkania ("Meetings"), an independent underground publication free from censorship.[1] Initially, Krupski intended to appropriate a ditto machine from the office of the Socialist Union of Polish Students to produce the journal but deemed this too hazardous. Instead, Jegliński acquired the device in Paris during an academic trip, financing it through work at a local pizzeria. This printing apparatus—illegal for private ownership under the communist regime—was clandestinely transported into Poland disguised as part of a theatrical set by a traveling troupe. This marked the first privately owned opposition printing press in post-war Poland. The inaugural printed material was George Orwell's Animal Farm, which was banned in communist Poland; however, due to novices operating the machine, the print quality was poor, leading to disposal of those copies. The press was also utilized to create leaflets exposing human rights abuses by the communist government, which were then smuggled abroad.[1]
During his university years, Janusz met Joanna, who would become his wife.[1]
Martial law period and subsequent events
In 1980, Krupski became involved with the Solidarity movement and participated on its coordinating committee in Gdańsk. Throughout the imposition of martial law in Poland, he faced persecution from communist authorities. After evading capture for ten months, he was eventually detained and placed in a special internment facility. His mother petitioned repeatedly for his release—efforts Janusz himself declined to pursue—but these appeals were unsuccessful.[1]
Following his release in 1983 after martial law ended, Krupski was soon abducted by agents of the communist secret police, known as Służba Bezpieczeństwa. They took him to the Kampinos Forest, where he was subjected to an attempt on his life involving being doused with a corrosive mixture of phenol and lysol.[1][2] The orders came from Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski, who had also orchestrated the killing of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko. Piotrowski instructed that Krupski be stripped naked so that the acid would penetrate deeply enough to cause fatal internal injuries and that his body be disposed of in a nearby reservoir. However, due to haste by those carrying out the act, Krupski only removed his jacket and boots; his thick sweater shielded him sufficiently to survive.[1][3] In 1991, after communism fell, an inquiry into this kidnapping was initiated and some individuals involved were identified. Alongside Piotrowski, this politically motivated crime was directed by Bohdan Kuliński. Records revealed that Piotrowski informed secret police chief Czesław Kiszczak that "Krupski is still alive" following the attack.[3]
In post-communist Poland
Following the collapse of communism, he served as a member of a special Sejm committee tasked with investigating the impact and repercussions of the martial law imposed in Poland during the early 1980s. Between 1993 and 2000, he held the position of executive director at the publishing firm "Krupski i S-ka". From 2000 to 2006, he occupied the role of vice-president at the Institute of National Remembrance (Polish: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej).
In the post-communist era, Krupski restarted his editorial work on the journal under a new name, Editions: Spotkania, from 1990 until 1992.
He passed away on 10 April 2010 in the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash near Smolensk, Russia. On 16 April 2010, he was honored posthumously with the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. His interment took place ten days following the crash at the Military Cemetery in Warsaw.
At the time of his passing, Krupski was serving as director of the Department of Combatants and Victims of Repression (Polish: Urzad do Spraw Kombatantów i Osób Represjonowanych). He lived with his spouse and their seven children in Grodzisk Mazowiecki.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Jacek Kowalsk, "Janusz Krupski - pasażer lotu 101" (Janusz Krupski - passenger on flight 101), Gazeta Wyborcza, 4/10/2010, [1]
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedrzepa - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Internowani, 1981-1982 (Interned 1981-1982), "Janusz KrupskiL: Żrący płyn kapitana Piotrowskiego", (Burning liquid of Cpt. Piotrowski), "Janusz Krupski". Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2010-07-10., last accessed 7/10/2010