The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-08-13
POLISH SEM
HEARS ABOUT
JAIL TORTURE
Committee Denounces
Police Brutality
eEoRo pAvIpsoHN.

tag, to Members Of Polish Cabinet.
In 1924 read the French protest
against the treatment OF the political
prisoners in Poland. It dealt with NAL
treatment and even with tortures,
with insufficient food, the neglect OF
their heath, their mental and spiri-
tual needs. That protest was signed
among others by Herriot, Aulard,
Painleve, Roman ROLAND, Georges
Pioch, Victor Basch, Paul Boncour.
Leon Blume, etc.
Stanislav Thugutt, a member Of the
se1m, was indignant at the French
statements. Thugutt was appointed
chairman Of parliamentary commit
tee of nine members, representatives
of all larger fractions of parliament,
from the most extreme right to the
extreme left. Apart from the chair
man Thugutt, the Priests Wyrembov-
ski and the Deputies UEiemblo, DR..
Insler, Erdmann, Prystupa, Jerevicz,
Zvierxynski were members Of the com
mittee.
Visit Twenty Persons.
The persons of this parliame ntary
committee treats conditions in over
twenty Polish prisons which were
visited by the committee. And Mr..
Thugutt as we'll as the other eight
members had to admit that the French
report of 1924 was still far too favor
able! Thugutt stated after visiting a
prison:
I'VE found it incomprehensible that
such number Of people could even
breathe in such a small room"
Mr.. Insler stated:
"The majority Of the Polish prisons
are terrifying Nobody certainly
leaves them without serious damage
being done to his health. Often the
prison is the cause of early DEATH"
The former agent provocateur Bro
nislav Jancevicz wrote to the Mem
Der Of Parliament Basil Rogula, that
he, Jancevicz, had among other things
been forced by electric torture to make
statements against 164 innocent per-
sons, among them three members of
parliament!
The Thugutt committee found that
in the prison Of the Holy Cross pri-
soners are suffering from eye diseases!
Mr.. Jeremicz, M. P, called this prison
an institution of murder" whereupon
an interrupter called, slaughter
housed"
High Suicide Rate.
Mr.. Uziemblo, M. P, formerly him
self a political prisoner states: "The
prison Vronki is the terror Of all pri-
soners in Poland" He pointed out the
terrible suicide rate.
The committee further pointed out
that in Vlozlavek systematic beating
was the order Of the day. The same
applied to all investigation prisons
of the police.
Mr.. Sobolevki, NJ. p, states that
Prison Director Surminski Of Novno
is ruthless and brutal despot," who
co-operates with agent provocateurs.
Furthermore Mr.. Sobolevski reports
that the political police not only brut-
ally beat the political prisoners, but
also torture them in most cruel
fashion. AS methods of tortures
among others the following were
found: Pushing of pins under the
fngarnails, beating of the feet with
rubber batons, thumb screws. fetter-
ing of the hands to the feet, pumping
OF vinegar thru the nose, etc.
Committees Reeomme ndations.
The Thugutt committee demanded
the immediate liquidation of Holy
Cross Prison, the legal prosecution of
the prosecutor and the assistant
prosecutor of the district court in voz-
lavek, the investigation of the NAL
treatment of prisoners, the punish
ment of the Lemberg Police Commits
sars Labiak and Kajdan, as well as
the dismissal of the Lemberg Police
Commander Lukomski, etc.
You will not ask perhaps, how /
get the idea Of presenting all this to
you. Permit me to answer you:
was until 1918 a member of the
German Reichstag and was in very
agreeable relations with the Polish M.
p. Dombek, Nowicki, Pospiech, Seyda,
Sosinski, Won Trampcynski. My rela-
tons with Korfanty were such that
we occasionally conversed about i'm
portant problems.
When, in October 1918, the collapse
became ever more clear, discussed
more than ever with Korfanty the
prospects of Poland attaining its IN
dependence.
Korfanty then stated that II Poland
had its autonomy, II would show other
people how one must treat national
minorities, It would show TO the
world what liberty, equality and Jus.
tice meant
Between Nov. 1918 and July 1926
nothing OF these great things promised