A barrister (advocate) who was feared by the security services. Pages from the resume of Maciej Bednarkiewicz (1940-2016)

This article is dedicated to Maciej Bednarkiewicz – one of the most distinguished barristers in the People’s Poland and in the Third Republic of Poland. Although he was a lawyer specializing in civil law, he did not avoid defending in criminal trials, especially of political character. He bravely defended the accused in the period of the martial law in Poland. He belonged to a small group of barristers feared even by Czesław Kiszczak. As a result of his bravery, he was among few imprisoned barristers. He cooperated closely with a priest Jerzy Popiełuszko and with the Primate’s Assistance Committee for Imprisoned and their Families. The article presents not only the most well-known trials in which barrister Maciej Bednarkiewicz participated, his activity at the forum of the Bar, state and the Catholic Church, but also introduces the figure of a father of this article’s author – barrister Marian Bednarkiewicz, and formative years of young Maciej including his legal apprenticeship and profiles of his patrons. This is the most detailed research paper on the life of barrister Maciej Bednarkiewicz in the existing scholarship.         

Keywords: Polish Bar in the 20th century, Supreme Bar Council, Maciej Bednarkiewicz, Marian Bednarkiewicz, Albert Zaleski, Ryszard Siciński, Grzegorz Przemyk, priest Jerzy Popiełuszko

This article is published in Polish