ZOMO* officer Jan P., wanted by Polish law enforcement for crimes against humanity, has been effectively protected by Germany for years. We checked what is happening with the case. The proceedings have been suspended, but the prosecutor’s office is not giving up and still wants to bring the 68-year-old to justice. One problem remains: the German state still refuses to extradite the former ZOMO officer.
*The Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia
Members of the special platoon of the Mobile Police Regiment of the Citizens’ Militia in Katowice opened fire on December 16, 1981, at the Wujek coal mine, murdering nine miners. Most of the communist perpetrators were convicted.
But not all of them. Two of them – Roman S. and Jan P. – escaped from Poland. For many years, they hid in Germany and even obtained German citizenship. That was enough to ensure their impunity. Every attempt by the Polish justice system to bring them to account proved unsuccessful, as wrote Niezalezna.pl in 2021,
Roman S. became so confident that he went on a trip to Croatia, where he was detained. After being extradited to Poland, he stood trial and was convicted. Unfortunately, the other one remains unpunished, still hiding in Germany.
Jan P. was born in 1957. During martial law, he was 24 years old and served as a private in the police platoon. He has successfully avoided punishment. After several years, we decided to check what has happened with his case.
“The proceedings are suspended, but we are not giving up on prosecuting the man. We intend to charge him with crimes against humanity,” confirmed prosecutor Dariusz Psiuk from the Branch Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation in Katowice in a conversation with Niezalezna.pl.
It is known that Germany questioned Jan P. a few years ago but has no intention of extraditing him to Poland. According to representatives of the German judiciary, their legal system does not recognize the crime of “communist crime.” And even if the crime committed at the Wujek coal mine were classified differently, it would already be considered time-barred. Therefore, Jan P. can sleep peacefully under German protection. Although he is listed in the police system as wanted, he would have to leave Germany to be arrested – something he is unlikely to do.
That is why he will probably never be held accountable for shooting at the miners from the Wujek coal mine.