Za tajne do ewidencji, za polityczne dla prokuratury „Sekcje tajne” w sądownictwie powszechnym (1950—1955)
Too Confidential to Be Registered, Too Political for the Prosecutor’s Office: “Secret Sections” in the Common Judiciary (1950—1955)

Summary/Abstract: In the years 1950—1955, “secret sections” operated in the common judiciary. Commonly referred to in the literature on the subject as the “secret court”, they aere informal units designed for a special way of dealing with criminal cases. At the beginning of 1950, a “secret section” was organized in the Department of Judicial Supervision in the Ministry of Justice as a body adjudicating in cases in the first instance. In the second half of 1950, a similar section was established in the Court of Appeal in Warsaw. And on January 1, 1951, in the Voivodship Court for the city of Warsaw, Section III was created in Department IV and referred to as the section for matters of particular importance. In mid-1951, a “secret section” was created in the Supreme Court as an appellate organ. Between 1950 and 1955, a total of 506 criminal cases against 626 people were heard in this way. These cases were tried by judges trusted by the party, with the participation of public defenders elected from a list drawn up and approved by the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party. The penalties imposed by the “secret court” were very severe: 1/3 of these sentences are sentences of 10 years and longer; also, nine death sentences were carried out.

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