ZYCIE WARSZAWY

Friday, September 4, 1998

LUDOBOJSTWO

Nieliczni przezyli rzady Morela

by JERZY SZOSTAK

- Pomiedzy Izraelem a Polska nie ma podpisanej umowy ekstradycyjnej. Jednak podpisalismy Europejska Umowe o Ekstradycji. Nasze prawo nie przewiduje rowniez przedawnienia zbrodni ludobojstwa - powiedzial ZW Michal Sobolman, rzecznik prasowy ambasady Izraela w Polsce.

Sprawa Morela interesuja sie takze Niemcy. Prowadzi ja prokuratura w Dortmundzie, ktora w ramach pomocy prawnej przeslala do Polski obszerny material dowodowy.

Kilka miesiecy temu nasi dziennikarze dotarli do Salomona Morela.

Poczatkowo zgodzil sie na udzielenie wywiadu. Potem jednak wycofal sie z tego.

2.

 Sprawa Morela ciagnie sie od 1992 roku, kiedy to Okregowa Komisja Badania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu w Katowicach wszczela sledztwo w sprawie eksterminacji wiezniow obozu w Swietochlowicach. W 1997 roku Prokuratura Wojewodzka w Katowicach wydala nakaz scigania miedzynarodowym listem gonczym Salomona Morela, jako winnego zbrodni ludobojstwa - zamordowal osobiscie co najmniej 1538 osob.

Po wkroczeniu Armii Czerwonej na Slask wladze komunistyczne postanowily reaktywowac jeden ze znajdujacych sie na tym terenie obozow smierci. Zrobiono to w Swietochlowicach. Oboz podlegal NKWD, potem UB. Jego komendantem zostal Morel.

W okresie istnienia obozu od lutego do listopada 1945 roku przebywalo w nim okolo 4 tys. wiezniow - polowa zostal zamordowana lub zmarla.

W obozie umieszczono Niemcow, folksdojczow oraz przeciwnikow nowej wladzy. Decyzje o osadzeniu w nim NKWD i UB podejmowalo przewaznie na podstawie pomowien. W obozie nie wygasaly epidemie tyfusu i dyzenterii. Liczba zgonow wynosila od 20 d0 30 dziennie. Racja zywnosciowa to 125 gramow chleba lub zupy.

3. [Translation]

Only a few managed to survive Morel's rules.

"There is no extradition agreement between Israel and Poland. In spite of the fact that we have signed the European Agreement on Extradition, our law does not foresee the situation when after certain period of time the crime of genocide cannot be punished, " said ZW Michal Sobolman, spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Poland.

The Germans are also interested in Morel's case. It is the District Attorney's Office in Dortmund which, by way of legal help, has passed to the Poles voluminous evidence material.

Several months ago our journalists located Salomon Morel. At first he agreed to be interviewed but then he refused.

Morel's case has lingered on since 1992 when the District Commitee for Researching Crimes Commited Against the Polish Nation, with headquarters in Katowice, began the interrogations on extermination of prisoners of Swietochlowice camp.

In 1997 the Attorney Bureau in Katowice issued an international warrant against Salomon Morel charging him with the crime of genocide. He himself murdered at least 1,538 prisoners.

After The Red Army entered Silesia, communist authorities decided to reactivate one of the death camps which had existed on that territory (trranslator: i.e. were established by the Germans) This was done in Swietochlowice.

The camp was first under Soviet NKVD then it was taken over by the Polish UB [Urzad Bezpieczenstwa - Internal Security Services]. It was Morel who became its commander.

From February do November 1945, that is to say until the camp was closed down, about 4 thousand prisoners were detained in the camp - half of which were either murdered or died.

Germans, Volksdeutsche [ethnic Germans] and opponents of the new regime were thrown into it. It was on orders of NKVD and UB that people were thrown into the camp - generally without any evidence whatever, it was enough when someone libellously claimed to have been guilty of some imaginary crime or offence. Epidemies of various contagious diseases (typhoid and dysentery) spread amongst the prisoners all the time until the end. About 20-30 prisoners died daily. The daily food ration was 125 g of bread or soup.

Jerzy Szostak