“Each of these 18 individuals is a small fortress of our past. We are a nation that has never surrendered its freedom, sovereignty, or independence—even in the face of two totalitarian regimes. Every plaque, every monument dedicated to the soldiers of the anti-communist underground, AK (Home Army), is a clear message to the entire world that we represent a nation which never gave up its freedom and sovereignty, even under the cruel, terrifying conditions in which they had to live,” said Dr. Karol Nawrocki, president-elect and head of the Instytut Pamięci Narodowej (Institute of National Remembrance), during the ceremony for the presentation of identification notes.
On Thursday at Belweder, during a formal ceremony, the names of 18 victims were announced, whose remains were discovered as part of the work conducted by the Biuro Poszukiwań i Identyfikacji Instytutu Pamięci Narodowej (Office for Search and Identification of the Institute of National Remembrance), carried out in Kraków, Wrocław, Katowice, and Lublin. The names of victims murdered in northern Mazowsze (Mazovia), whose remains were found in 2024, were also revealed. Among the identified is one person whose remains were discovered at the Cmentarz Wojskowy na Powązkach (Military Cemetery at Powązki) in Warszawa (Warsaw), in the area known as Łączka.
Nawrocki: “Each of these people is a small fortress“
Dr. Karol Nawrocki, president-elect and head of the Institute of National Remembrance, reminded the audience that in the past several years, 297 individuals have been successfully identified.
“Our heroes make up a concrete landscape that tells us, the people of today, so much about ourselves—even in the 21st century. These were people united by one thing: service to the Rzeczpospolita (Republic of Poland), and loyalty to the freedom and sovereignty of an independent Polish state. Regardless of what they believed in—whether they represented the largest underground army in the world, the Armia Krajowa (Home Army), or were part of the national or peasant movement, whether they fought against German national socialists or Soviet communists—they were always faithful to a free and independent Poland,” said Nawrocki.
He added that this is for us “a great responsibility in building a great, strong, and responsible Poland.”
“It is a responsibility stemming from the belief that Poland should unite us—regardless of our emotions or worldviews, we must remain faithful to a free, independent, and sovereign Rzeczpospolita,” said the head of the IPN (Institute of National Remembrance).
He noted that the mission of the Institute of National Remembrance is built, among other things, on the foundations of truth and justice.
“This justice also tells us that we, as Poles, have the right to call our heroes ‘heroes’ and our traitors ‘traitors’. And to call those who murdered our heroes simply what they were—traitors to the Polish state,” emphasized Nawrocki.
Among the Institute’s foundations is also immense gratitude to those thanks to whom we can live in a free, independent Poland—a Poland that we must care for and protect.
“Each of these 18 individuals is a small fortress of our past. We are a nation that has never surrendered its freedom, sovereignty, or independence—even in the face of two totalitarian regimes. Every plaque, every monument dedicated to the soldiers of the anti-communist underground, AK, is a clear message to the entire world that we represent a nation which never gave up its freedom and sovereignty, even under the cruel, terrifying conditions in which they had to live,” he added.
President Duda: Restoring justice to Polish history
“Today’s ceremony is another step in restoring the memory of those whom totalitarian regimes tried to condemn to eternal silence,” wrote President Andrzej Duda in a letter to participants of the ceremony for presenting identification notes to the families of victims who perished due to communist terror and German crimes.
“Thanks to the work of the Institute of National Remembrance, once again—with pride and emotion—we can return their loved ones to their families on behalf of a sovereign Rzeczpospolita, and restore justice to Polish history,” wrote Andrzej Duda.
“Let us also remember today the thousands of victims still waiting to be found, identified, and given a dignified burial. I am confident that this great work of remembrance will continue,” the President emphasized.