Poland Letting Up

The announcement on the television news last week was not unexpected, but its details caught many Poles by surprise: 225 prisoners jailed for their political views or activities would be released by the government of General Wojciech Jaruzelski by the beginning of this week, among them Zbigniew Bujak, leader of the Solidarity underground who was captured in May after hiding out for 4 1/2 years, and Wladyslaw Frasyniuk, another well-known opposition figure, who was serving a three-year sentence for trying to organize a general strike. Said Solidarity Founder Lech Walesa: "I am happy about it."

The announcement came in the form of an interview with General Czeslaw Kiszczak, the Minister of Internal Affairs, who cited a "visible improvement of public order" and a "waning social response to attempts at conducting clandestine activity" as justification for the amnesty. Translation: the Jaruzelski government thinks public support for the outlawed Solidarity trade- union movement has weakened.

The decision also seemed to be aimed at improving relations with the West. The regime's apparent hope is a lifting of U.S. economic sanctions and the securing of urgently needed loans and credits to shore up the sagging economy. In addition, the government's action appeared to represent a victory for Jaruzelski over hard-liners within the Polish Communist Party.

Whatever the rationale, opposition leaders were pleased but skeptical. Bujak, in a post-release interview, called the step "really significant," but noted that "no other steps were made and there is no chance for any kind of legal opposition." Said Walesa: "In order to have time to repaint the prisons, conditions must be created for people to join in working for the country. + Pluralism of social organizations is indispensable in order for reforms to progress."

At almost the same time, however, Kiszczak announced that some 3,000 opposition activists had been interrogated by police. The aim, he said, was "to convince the people that their clandestine activities made no sense. We told them, 'Enough of this game.' " No one was arrested, but the questioning could have a chilling effect. Kiszczak admitted that the amnesty had taken account of the "humanitarian intention" of the Roman Catholic Church after Poland's bishops had appealed for release of political prisoners and constitutional guarantees of basic freedoms. With Solidarity effectively thwarted, and many members of the opposition being grilled about church- centered political activities, Catholic activists had reason to worry about becoming the regime's next targets.