| Following the collapse of the communist regime in Poland in 1989, Franciszek Uryga, a former member of the Polish Home Army, wrote his memoirs about his experiences as a political prisoner during the Stalinist era. In 1948, Uryga joined AK Zawisza, a post-World War II youth underground resistance organization determined to thwart the communists' consolidation of power in Poland. He was subsequently arrested by the Ministry of Public Security, in whose custody he was tortured and interrogated. In 1950, Uryga was brought before a military court and sentenced to prison for his subversive activities. What follows is an annotated translation of Uryga's memoirs. The annotations provide an historical framework to complement the personal history. This dual approach reflects an effort to provide background and context to the very personal account of the Polish author's experiences as a political prisoner. |
