Jewish circles here expressed concern today over the proposal that criminal and political prisoners be given amnesty. Many of the prisoners who will be freed if the Polish Parliament passes the amnesty bill include Naras and Endeks (members of two anti-Semitic political parties) who were recently jailed for attacks on Jews.
Under the terms of the bill prisoners, sentenced both for criminal and political offenses, will be freed if their terms are under eighteen months. Those serving up to five year sentences will have their terms reduced by half.
Overpopulation of the prisons is given as the reason for the amnesty. Total prison capacity is about 40,000 and there are 10,000 more than that number serving terms in Polish jails.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
