Institute of National Remembrance
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Institute of National Remembrance — Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation (Polish: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej — Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu; IPN) is a Polish institution created by the IPN Act on 18 December 1998.
Its main purpose is investigating Nazi and Communist crimes, taking care of documentation about them, providing this documentation to the public, prosecuting those who committed such crimes, and educating the public in this respect. The main focus of the Institute are crimes committed by the communist authorities of Poland before 1989.
The first chairman of the IPN was Leon Kieres, elected by the Sejm for five years in 8 June 2000 (term 30 June 2000–29 December 2005).
The current chairman is Janusz Kurtyka, elected on 9 December 2005 (term started 29 December 2005).
The IPN is divided into:
- Main Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation (Główna Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni Przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu)
- Bureau of Provision and Archivization of Documents (Biuro Udostępniania i Archiwizacji Dokumentów)
- Bureau of Public Education (Biuro Edukacji Publicznej)
- Local chapters
The most widely reported case investigated by the IPN thus far is the Jedwabne Pogrom. Other cases include: Wąsosz pogrom, Salomon Morel.
[edit] Criticism
The IPN has been criticized by many, often being characterized as an organization created simply to carry out politically motivated witch hunts. [1][2][3]
[edit] External links
- IPN Home Page (English)
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