Provincial Court in Kielce Sąd Wojewódzki w Kielcach (Sygn. 306)

Contains selected files of the Provincial Court in Kielce during the years 1945-1956. These trials refer the Decree of August 31, 1944 (“Sierpniówka”), issued by the Polski Komitet Wyzwolenia Narodowego (PKWN), concerning the punishment of Nazi criminals and their collaborators guilty of murder and persecution of civilians and prisoners of war and the punishment of traitors to the Polish Nation. Selected files mostly refer to crimes committed against Jews, but the collection contains also files related to Polish and Russian victims. The “Sierpniówka” was one of the world's first legislation on liability for war crimes committed during World War II. This decree also applied to soldiers of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa) whom the Communist propaganda in the 40’s and 50’s attempted to portray as German collaborators. Copyright Holder: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej-Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu