Amnesty for Polish citizens in USSR

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Amnesty for Polish citizens in USSR refers to an amnesty in USSR, resulting in temporary stop of persecutions of Polish citizens under Soviet control.

Soviet Union has invaded Poland in 1939, breaking relations with the Polish government and repressing Polish citizens on the occupied territories. The outbreak of the Soviet-German War in 1941 and Sikorski-Mayski Negotiations have led to the change of Soviet policies towards the Poles, as leniency was needed if Soviets were to recruit and create a Polish force under their command. On 12 August that year Soviets issued an amnesty to Polish citizens.

Those who could prove they were Polish citizens had their citizenship restored (it was annulled in the aftermath of the Soviet invasion in 1939); there was no clear definition of the "Polish citizenship" and eventually the Soviets limited it only to Polish ethnicity (which de facto covered some Polish Jews, but not the Ukrainian or Belorussians who were former citizens of the Second Polish Republic). The decree did not cover people imprisoned or under investigation; and it was common for 'special cases' to be denied the amnesty on technical grounds (or even denied information about the amnesty or the possibility of joining the Polish forces). According to NKVD document of 1 August, 381 220 people were to be covered by the amnesty.

The term amnesty is criticized in Polish historiography, as it implies the Soviet Union had a legal basis for persecute Polish citizens (some of whom, for example, were persecuted for "treason of Soviet Union" - even through they committed as Polish citizens in independent Poland, not breaking any Polish laws).

After the Anders Army left Soviet sphere of influence, repressions towards the Polish citizens reintensified.