Investigation in the case of the murder by Soviet partisans of approximately 300 inhabitants of the village called Koniuchy, county of Lida, the Nowogródzkie voivodship, on January 29th, 1944, was initiated on March 8th, 2001. In the course of the investigation, in fulfilling the tasks of preparatory proceedings as stipulated in article 297 of the Criminal Procedure Code and article 45 point 3 of the law on the Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation of December 18th, 1998, people who inhabited Koniuchy and neighbouring villages in 1944 were found and interrogated as witnesses. The personal composition of the battalion 5 of 77 pp of the Home Army which operated in those years near Koniuchy was determined and living soldiers – members of the battalion were interrogated as witnesses. The current places of residence of former inhabitants of Koniuchy were found out and proper requests for interrogation of these people were sent to the Prosecutor’s Offices in Belarus, Lithuania and the Ministry of Justice in Canada. The Prosecutor’s Offices in Belarus and Lithuania were also asked to send archival documents from the collections of their national archives. The Consul General of Poland in Montreal was asked to provide information on the citizenship of two important witnesses who live in Canada. Archival documents concerning the circumstances which are the subject of the investigation have been searched for. In the New Act Archives in Warsaw a classified situation report of February 5th, 1944 made in Riga by the Operational Unit of the Wehrmacht Ostland Commander was disclosed. It informed about an action of the Soviet partisans in Koniuchy and included, among others, a number of the killed and wounded. A research in the Central Military Archives was ordained, however, in its course no materials pertaining to the investigation were found. From the “Karta” Centre information was acquired as pertains the “Frycz” Diversion Unit of the Home Army whose members were partially recruited from people who survived the pacification of Koniuchy. The World Association of the Home Army Soldiers was also asked to send archival materials in its possession. An opinion of the Research and Expertise Unit of the Chief Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation was acquired which was made on the basis of source materials and concerned the events under investigation. The evidence pertaining to the case collected so far allowed for the reconstruction of events which took place on January 29th, 1994 in Koniuchy. The circumstances of the activities of partisan units subject to the Central Headquarters of the Partisan Movement in Moscow have been determined. Currently, the roles in the event of commanders of the partisan units as well as of the units’ members whose names and pseudonyms were given by witnesses is being determined. In the course of activities by way of international legal assistance the personal data of these people have been established. The ensuing lists of Soviet partisans allow now to initiate activities which will determine which of these people are still alive and where they live. Some measures were taken as to procure a list the harmed people, however this list is still incomplete and further activities are being conducted in this area. Once the material requested by way of international legal assistance has been available and the sources of evidence available in Poland have been exhausted, a decision concerning further proceedings will be made. At the present stage the date of the investigation’s closure cannot be determined. Prosecutor Robert Janicki
Chief Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation
Warsaw, August 5th, 2003