Polish regime warned against cover-up

Press, 2 November 1984, Page 6

Polish regime warned against cover-up

NZPA-Reuter Warsaw Any Polish Government bid to shield the instigators of the kidnap and murder of the Rev. Jerzy Popieluszko could cause violence, opposition sources said yesterday. An autopsy was conducted yesterday on Father Popieluszko’s body to determine whether he was killed before he was put in the reservoir where his body was found north-west of Warsaw on Wednesday. A Prosecutor’s Office official said that the hospital where the autopsy was

conducted had been kept secret to avoid its becoming a place of pilgrimage. The opposition sources voiced fears that Communist leaders would attempt a cover-up if an investigation of party hardliners and the powerful Interior Ministry apparatus, now under way, proved embarrassing. Three security police officers accused of abducting Father Popieluszko on October 19 were said to be about to face charges of murder. Diplomats said that they expected a serious shake-up

in the Communist Party and the Interior Ministry because of the killing. A Government spokesman, Jerzy Urban, reported that a hunt was on for any officials who may have given the accused police, officers orders to kidnap' and kill the priest. “I cannot say if (the. police) had sponsors. So far there are only suspicions. I cannot speak about facts, evidence or proof,” he said. Poland’s security services are known for their freedom of action and lack of political control, diplomats say.