starywiarus
25.03.02, 11:21
Dr Zbigniew Brzeziński
Center for Strategic and International Studies
1800 K Street NW
Washington DC 20005
Dear Professor Brzeziński,
It is my understanding that appropriate celebrations are planned for late April
2002 in Warsaw, Poland, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of establishment of
the Polish Section of Radio Free Europe, a unique and distinguished American
institution, credited with having given the Poles a free voice in their long
and arduous fight for Poland's freedom from Communism, which ultimately
resulted in the country regaining sovereignty in 1989.
You are one of the members of a committee set up to plan and coordinate the
celebrations; as such, you presumably will be visiting Warsaw in order to take
part in the commemorative activities.
Accordingly, it may be of interest to you that the Polish Government will not
recognise your citizenship of the United States during your forthcoming visit
to Poland.
As the Polish citizenship law currently stands, your birth in Warsaw on 28
March 1928, of a Polish citizen father and a Polish citizen mother, makes you a
Polish citizen. The same law makes you a solely and exclusively Polish citizen
while on Polish soil, and subordinates you to all sovereign powers of the
Polish state.
The Polish law disregards you naturalization as a citizen of the United States,
specifically prohibits your recognition as a citizen of the United States by
Polish authorities and Government agencies, denies you access to the US
consular protection while in Poland, and allows no exceptions.
Technically, as a Polish citizen, you are legally obliged to use a Polish
passport, and no other, to enter or leave Poland. Production of your United
States passport to Polish border authorities has legal status of petty offence
in Polish law, attracting a fine of up to PLN 5,000 (USD 1,150 ).
Technically, the Polish passport laws do not allow your departure from Poland
on your United States passport, and preclude your exit until such time as you
may obtain a valid Polish passport.
The same provisions of the Polish citizenship law apply without any limitation
in scope and time to your American-born children, and to their children.
While the Polish authorities have not in the past applied, and will not now
apply, these laws to you for fear of international repercussions, not all Poles
of the worldwide diaspora will be so fortunate in that regard. For Americans of
Polish heritage whose public standing offers no protection from the excesses of
Polish authorities, the Polish citizenship laws have created a risk of
becoming stranded in Poland at a whim of unhelpful Polish officials, thus
discouraging visits to Poland, and, more importantly, creating a wholly
unnecessary point of animosity between the United States and Poland.
Others, in Canada, Australia, and other countries, will not be able to travel
to Poland at all, because Polish visas will not be granted in passports of
their new nationality, as means of pressure to force the exclusive use of
Polish passports upon dual nationals.
The 50th anniversary jubilee of the RFE's Polish Section would provide an
eminently suitable set of circumstances for you to raise this communist relic
absurdity with your Polish hosts, should you consider it appropriate.
I wish to avail myself of this opportunity to express to you, sir, my deepest
admiration and respect for your role as one of the principal sources of clear
thought and determination in actions that allowed Poland to regain her freedom.
I hope that reminiscing on the spirit of the years of struggle may focus some
attention of Warsaw conference participants on problems remaining to be
resolved before Poland can fully claim her rightful place among the free
nations of the West.
Yours sincerely,
Stary
Sydney, Australia
25 March 2002
--------------
Legal references:
* Ustawa z dnia 15 lutego 1962r. o obywatelstwie polskim (Dz.U. nr 10 z dnia
21 lutego 1961r.), art. 2
* Ustawa z dnia 12 listopada 1965r. Prawo prywatne miedzynarodowe (dz. U. nr
46 z dnia 17 listopada 1965r.), art 2 par. 1.
* Ustawa z dnia 29 listopada 1990r. o paszportach (Dz. U. nr 2 z dnia 7
stycznia 1991r.,) art. 1
* Ustawa z dnia 20 maja 1971 r. Kodeks wykroczeń, Dz. U. nr 12 z dnia 31 maja
1971r., art. 65 par. 1.[/size]
==============================================================
50. rocznica inauguracji Rozgłośni Polskiej Radia Wolna Europa :
W sklad Komitetu wchodza:
Profesor Wladyslaw Bartoszewski
Prezes Honorowy SDP - Stefan Bratkowski
Prof. Zbigniew Brzezinski
Minister Kultury Andrzej Celinski
President Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Washington/Praga) - Thomas A. Dine
Ambasador USA w Polsce - Christopher Hill
Prezydent RP na Uchodztwie - Ryszard Kaczorowski
Prezes Telewizji Polskiej SA - Robert Kwiatkowski
Prezes Polskiego Radia SA - Ryszard Miazek
Ksiadz Pralat Wieslaw Nieweglowski - duszpasterz srodowisk tworczych
Pierwszy Dyrektor Rozglosni Polskiej RWE - Jan Nowak-Jezioranski
Pawel Piskorski - b. Prezydent Warszawy
Rezyser Andrzej Wajda
Ksiadz Arcybiskup Jozef Zycinski - Metropolita Lubelski
