Statement

2018

IHRA Chair’s Statement on amendment of Polish National Remembrance Law

IHRA Chair Ambassador Sandro De Bernardin speaks about the importance of the law for research on and awareness about the Holocaust in Poland.

“As Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, I welcome the decision of the Polish Parliament to amend the Polish National Remembrance Law Amendment by removing the criminal penalty of imprisonment.

The IHRA community – including Poland – adheres to our founding document, the Stockholm Declaration, which outlines the shared commitment of our Member Countries to encourage the study of the Holocaust in all its dimensions and to uphold its truth against those who would deny it. The 35 Member Countries of the IHRA share the Polish government’s opposition to the historically unsupportable use of the terms “Polish Death Camps” to refer to the camps and sites of persecution and murder established by Nazi Germany on invaded and occupied Polish soil.

It is our hope that this change in law be accompanied by a cooperative and international approach to building Holocaust research and awareness in Poland. We remain committed to freedom of inquiry, research, and publication and – in the words of our Honorary Chairman, Professor Yehuda Bauer, – are convinced that the greatest defense in honor of the Polish people is to preserve the truth as it actually was.”

Ambassador Sandro De Bernardin
IHRA Chair

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) unites governments and experts to strengthen, advance and promote Holocaust education, remembrance and research worldwide and uphold the commitments of the 2000 Stockholm Declaration.