Prosecutors of the Institute's investigation service conduct investigations into Communist, Nazi and other crimes against peace and humanity or war crimes, commited by Communist state officials, and by security bodies of the German Third Reich and the Union of Soviet socialist Republics on persons of Polish nationality or on Polish citizens of other nationalities between September 1, 2939 and July, 31 1990.
More than 900 investigations are pending into Communist crimes commited by Communist state officiala, of which 200 concern repressions against theopposition and the Solidarity Trade Union activists in the 1980s. The Institute's prosecutors are conducting an inquiry into the existance of a criminal association in the former Ministry of Internal Affairs, comprising 44 different leads. One of them in the unlawful activity of the Communist state officials against Polish priests, including the Revs. Jerzy Popiełuszko, Stanisław Suchowolec, Stefan Niedzielak and Józef Zych. The prosecutors are also inquiring into the fatal assault on the student Stanisław Pyjas on May 7, 1977. Intensive action is also in progess in an inquiry into the death of Grzegorz Przemyk.
The efforts of the Institute's prosecutors have resulted in filing more than 240 charge sheets against about 400 persons, and closing thousands of procedeeings with the final decisions refusing to start an investigation or closing an investigation. The prosecutors of the investigation service prepare and publish "Crimes of the Past", an account of criminal law issues they have encountered in the course of their investigations.
