Leszek Penkala ( English Leszek Pękala ; May 30, 1952, Zlotoryya ) is a communist state security officer of the NDP , one of the murderers of the chaplain of Solidarity, Jerzy Popelushko , martyr of the Catholic Church .
| Leszek Penkala | |
|---|---|
| polish Leszek pękala | |
| Date of Birth | May 30, 1952 (67 years old) |
| Place of Birth | Strange |
| Citizenship |  NDP |
| The killings | |
| Number of victims | 1 ( Jerzy Popelushko ) |
| Kill period | October 19, 1984 |
| Way to kill | beating followed by drowning |
| Motive | execution of orders on the line of state security |
| Date of arrest | October 23, 1984 |
| Punishment | 15 years in prison, really served 5 years |
Content
- 1 State Security Service
- 2 Murder and trial
- 3 Living under a pseudonym
- 4 notes
- 5 Links
State Security Service
By education an electronic engineer. In October 1977 he entered the service in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Poland. Initially served in Tarnuwa in technical and inspection posts. Since June 1981 he was transferred to the central apparatus of the Security Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs [1] .
He got a position in the IV department, specializing in the fight against the Polish Catholic Church . He belonged to the closed special group “D” in the department.
Murder and Judgment
On the orders of Colonel Petrushka, together with Captain Piotrovsky and Lieutenant Khmelevsky, on October 19, 1984, Lieutenant Penkala took part in the murder of Priest Jerzy Popelushko , the chaplain of the Solidarity trade union . This action, conceived as the removal of an opposition preacher, was used for political intrigue in the PUWP leadership. The organizers, and especially the perpetrators of the murder, did not foresee such a turn of events [2] .
On October 23, 1984, Penkala was arrested. At the end of the year, he, together with Petrushka, Piotrovsky and Khmelevsky, appeared before the governor’s court in Torun , at the scene of the crime. He was gloomy and closed at trial. February 7, 1985 Leszek Penkala was sentenced to 15 years in prison [3] (Petrushka and Piotrovsky received 25 years each, Khmelevsky received 14 years each).
Living Under a Pseudonym
As a result of the two amnesties, the term was significantly reduced, and Penkala was released in 1990 . Avoiding fame, changed his name and surname, began to be called Pavel Novak . He got a big family. Repented, tried to start life anew. He converted to Catholicism and turned to Bishop Ignacy Tokarchuk for absolution [4] .
Penkala Novak lived in Warsaw , worked in an advertising company (other employment was a problem due to general rejection). He provided paid advertisements to Życie Warszawy [5] . Penkala’s identity was revealed by journalists, which is why he had to move to the provincial town of Pyla .
In November 2008, Penkala-Novak gave an interview to Tygodnik Nowy . He expressed deep remorse for his deeds, respectfully spoke about Jerzy Popelushko. Penkala explained his actions by “fanatical devotion” to the chief Piotrovsky, whom he now hates. But at the same time Penkala claimed that neither he, nor Khmelevsky, nor even Piotrovsky had committed the murder. When asked who killed Popelushko, Penkala answered “I don’t know.” The version voiced by him was not convincing [6] .
Notes
- ↑ Dane osoby z katalogu funkcjonariuszy aparatu bezpieczeństwa (link not available) . Date of treatment September 19, 2014. Archived March 4, 2016.
- ↑ Chapel of Resistance (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment October 26, 2018. Archived on September 25, 2018.
- ↑ Skazani w procesie toruńskim: od lewej - Grzegorz Piotrowski, Adam Pietruszka, Leszek Pękala i Waldemar Chmielewski
- ↑ Żywe upiory PRL-u. Leszek Pękala, czyli narodzony na nowo
- ↑ Sprawiedliwość na pokaz
- ↑ Spowiedź Leszka Pękali. Nowe okoliczności porwania księdza Jerze