Future of Holocaust research in Poland hinges on libel case

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February 4, 2021
In this 1943 photo, a group of Polish Jews are led away for deportation by German SS soldiers, during the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto by German troops after an uprising in the Jewish quarter. Two Polish historians are facing a libel trial for a scholarly examination of Polish behavior during World War II, a case whose outcome is expected to determine the fate of independent Holocaust research under Poland’s nationalist government. A verdict is expected Feb. 9. (AP Photo, B/W File)

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Two Polish historians are facing a libel trial for a scholarly examination of Polish behavior during World War II, a case whose outcome is expected to determine the fate of independent Holocaust research under Poland’s nationalist government.

A verdict is expected in Warsaw’s district court on Feb. 9 in the case against Barbara Engelking, a historian with the Polish Center for Holocaust Research in Warsaw, and Jan Grabowski, a professor of history at the University of Ottawa.

It is the first closely watched Holocaust speech case since Poland sought to pass a law in 2018 that would have criminalized the act of falsely blaming Poland for Germany’s Holocaust crimes. Those criminal penalties were dropped in favor of civil penalties after the legislation sparked a major diplomatic dispute with Israel.

Read the full article at https://apnews.com/article/world-news-world-war-ii-trials-poland-germany-f49788cd4ec3e3d161beaa75ba0df7da?fbclid=IwAR1Q_mbmZlvaJjwJYJfxQ9NLKXUwboQUhZVShPOoiD2_mfXEniejhUCcq9A