Poland's former prime minister Jan Olszewski dies at 88

Olszewski, 88, was the third premier after the collapse of communism in 1989 and served as head of the government for six months from December 1991 to June 1992.

Previously an attorney, Olszewski had represented democratic opposition members in court in communist times. He was nominated as prime minister by Porozumienie Centrum, the first political party created by Jaroslaw Kaczyński, head of the current ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.

Olszewski was also an adviser to late president Lech Kaczyński, Jarosław's twin brother, who died in a plane crash in 2010.

The tabloid Super Express said on Friday that Olszewski had fainted at home several days ago and was taken to hospital. He remained unconscious throughout, his wife was quoted as saying.

He was born on the 20th of August 1930 in Warsaw in a family of railway workers affiliated with Polish Socialist Party (PPS).

In 1943, during German occupation he joined the ranks of the Szare Szeregi and was a liaison during the Warsaw Uprising.

In 1953, he graduated from law studies at the University of Warsaw. Later on, he worked in the Ministry of Justice (1953-54) and in the Polish Academy of Sciences (1954-56).

In 1956-57, Olszewski was writing for "Po prostu" weekly in which, together with Walery Namiotkiewicz and Jerzy Ambroziewicz, he published a text entitled "Na spotkanie ludziom z AK" calling for vindication of the Home Army soldiers.

Newly appointed First Secretary of Polish United Workers' Party Władysław Gomułka ordered "Po Prostu" to be shut down as revisionist paper. Olszewski was banned from journalistic work in 1957. Between 1956-62 he was a member of the Curved Wheel Club (Klub Krzywego Koła).

In the 1960s, he was defending activists in political trials. Among the people he defended were Jacek Kuroń, Karol Modzelewski, Melchior Wańkowicz, Janusz Szpotański and Wojciech Ziembiński. In 1970, he was a counsel for the defence in the trial of "Ruch" organisation.

In 1975, he signed the "Letter of 59" against amendments to the Constitution of Polish People's Republic (PRL). In 1976, he drew up, together with Wojciech Ziembiński the "Letter of 14" against amending the constitution with a provision of inviolability of the alliance with the Soviet Union. He defended striking workers from factories in Radom and Ursus. He also signed the statement by 14 intellectuals from June 1976 in which they expressed their support for the protesting workers.

On that same year he founded Polish Independence Alliance (PPN). During its existence (1976-80) PPN announced over 50 policy publication, including the repeatedly re-launched and very popular among the Solidarity-centred underground guide entitled "Citizen and Security Service".

In 1976 Olszewski also took part in the creating the Workers' Defence Committee (KOR) and co-authored the "Call upon the society and PRL authorities". However, in the end his name wasn't put on the members list, thanks to which he could still serve as a counsel to the workers put on trial after the so-called June incidents. On behalf of KOR, he took part in investigating the murder of Stanisław Pyjas and signed the Declaration of the Democratic Movement (founding document of KOR).

In 1980-81, Olszewski was an advisor to the "Solidarity" National Commission and the Masovian Region Board. He co-created the first statute of "Solidarity". Together with Wiesław Chrzanowski, he supervised the registration procedure of the trade union before the court in Warsaw.

During the August strikes, he and Wiesław Chrzanowski prepared the statute for the organisation of Free Trade Unions, that they later presented to the strike committee in the Gdańsk Shipyard. During the martial law in Poland he was defending many activists from "Solidarity", including Lech Wałęsa and Zbigniew Romaszewski.

Olszewski was an advisor in the Secretariat of the Episcopal Conference of Poland. He served as an auxiliary prosecutor and the representative of priest Jerzy Popiełuszko's family in the trial of men accused of his murder. In prosecution speech, he portrayed the murder as a political provocation.

In 1988, he was a member of Solidarity Citizens' Committee and in 1989 he investgated the circumstances surrounding the murders of priests: Stefan Niedzielak, Stanisław Suchowolec and Sylwester Zych. Communist Security Service claimed that their deaths were "fatal accidents without third parties' involvement". Even though the prosecution admitted that Father Niedzielak was murdered, the investigation was discontinued.

Olszewski took part in the works of law and judicial reform workgroup under the framework of the Round Table talks.

However, he did not participate in the elections to the Contract Sejm and rejected an offer of being a member of Tadeusz Mazowiecki's cabinet.

In 1990 he supported Lech Wałęsa in the presidential elections, as a scrutineer in the National Electoral Commission.

Olszewski's political career culminated with him becoming prime minister. In 1991, Wałęsa appointed him as the head of cabinet which on the 23rd of December 1991 received the vote of confidence from the Sejm - elected in fully free elections for the first time after the war.

The uncovering of Security Service archives by the then minister of the interior Antoni Macierewicz was a direct cause of the fall of Olszewski's cabinet on the night between the 4th and 5th of June 1992, that was later dubbed "the night of files". In the morning on the 4th of June, envelopes with the so-called Macierewicz's list were brought to the Sejm. On the list were the names of politicians earmarked as secret informers of the communist secret services.

In the first free parliamentary elections he was chosen MP from the list of Porozumienie Obywatelskie Centrum.

Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP, Reuters