Historians Face Legal Action Amid Efforts to Control WWII Narrative
Two Polish historians, Barbara Engelking and Jan Grabowski, are facing a libel trial over their research on Polish involvement in the Holocaust. The case, set for a verdict on February 9, has raised serious concerns about the future of independent Holocaust studies in Poland, where the nationalist government has been accused of attempting to suppress research into Polish complicity during Nazi occupation.
The trial follows a controversial 2018 law that criminalizes accusations against the Polish nation for crimes committed by Nazi Germany. Critics argue that this law, championed by Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party, is being used to reshape historical narratives by emphasizing Polish heroism while downplaying instances of collaboration with Nazi forces.
International institutions, including Israel’s Yad Vashem and the Paris-based Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah, have condemned the case, calling it an attack on academic freedom and historical truth. With the outcome of the trial pending, scholars fear it could set a dangerous precedent, further restricting Holocaust research in Poland.
