The World : Political Crimes Pardoned

Poland’s Parliament issued a sweeping pardon for political crimes committed since the Solidarity trade union was formed in 1980. Concurrently, Parliament also voted overwhelmingly to “pardon and commit to oblivion” crimes including participation in strikes or street protests, underground printing and broadcasting or collecting money for banned organizations, thus lifting measures used to jail hundreds of Solidarity and opposition activists. Meanwhile, a sit-in strike by students protesting the government’s refusal to recognize their union doubled in size, with youths at 40 of the nation’s 70 universities boycotting classes. An estimated 9,000 students are believed involved in the protest, aimed at pressuring the government into legalizing the Independent Students’ Union.