Krystyna Bochenek

Krystyna Bochenek
Born	Krystyna Maria Neuman Template:Birth date Stalinogród, Poland
Died	April 10, 2010(2010-04-10) (aged 56) Near Smolensk, Russia
Occupation(s)	Journalist, politician
Years active	1976–2010
Known for	Deputy Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland; Polish language promotion; health awareness campaigns

Krystyna Maria Bochenek (born Neuman; 30 June 1953 – 10 April 2010) was a distinguished Polish journalist and politician who served as the Deputy Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland representing the Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska). Her tenure was tragically cut short when she perished in the April 2010 Smolensk air disaster aboard the Polish presidential aircraft, alongside the President of Poland.

Biography

Born in Stalinogród, Bochenek completed her secondary education there before enrolling at the University of Silesia in Katowice. In 1976, she embarked on her journalism career with Polish Radio Katowice. Over many years, she contributed extensively to both print and broadcast media. Her work prominently featured efforts to promote the culture of the Polish language and public health awareness. She coordinated international initiatives aimed at advancing Polish language appreciation. Additionally, she produced close to a thousand hours of health-related content, including the radio series Medical Magazine, and co-authored the television program A to Health.

Bochenek was an active member of the Polish Language Council associated with the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences, where she also presided over the Language in the Media Commission. She played a key role in advocating for the Senate's 2006 declaration as the Year of the Polish Language. Her organizational leadership extended to scientific conferences focusing on topics such as language legislation, political discourse in Polish at the dawn of the 21st century, and notably, the 2006 Polish Language Festival. The latter event, held under the patronage of Senate Marshal Bogdan Borusewicz, attracted approximately 5,000 attendees.

She led the Silesian Scholarship Fund and held the position of Vice-President on the Programme Council for TVP Polonia.

Collaborating with Silesian media outlets, Bochenek spearheaded a breast cancer prevention campaign titled "Pink Ribbon," targeting women's health awareness. She supported numerous charitable initiatives including the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, efforts to restore the damaged Silesian Opera building, contributions to the Silesian Theatre, and assistance for the Mining Families Foundation.

Entering politics as an independent candidate in Katowice, she secured a Senate seat in a by-election on 26 September 2004 representing the Freedom Union. She retained her seat in 2005 with 53.28% of votes, this time running under the Civic Platform banner. In the 2007 parliamentary elections, she was re-elected for a third term with 255,792 votes. On 5 November 2007, she was appointed Deputy Marshal of the Senate during her seventh term and served as Vice-President of the Parliamentary Group for Cooperation with NGOs.

Death

Grave of Krystyna Bochenek at the Sienkiewicz Street cemetery in Katowice

Small statue of Bochenek at the Silesian Theater

Krystyna Bochenek was among the passengers listed on the flight manifest aboard the Tupolev Tu-154 operated by the 36th Special Aviation Regiment. The aircraft was transporting the President of Poland Lech Kaczyński to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre, when it crashed near Smolensk-North airport close to Pechersk, near Smolensk, Russia, on 10 April 2010, resulting in no survivors.

Her burial took place on 22 April 2010 at the cemetery located on Sienkiewicza Street in Katowice.

Honours and awards

Awarded the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta in April 2010