| Bronisław Wilhelm Pieracki | |
|---|---|
| Bronisław Pieracki | |
| Minister of Interior of the Republic of Poland | |
| In office 23 June 1931 – 15 June 1934 |
|
| Preceded by | Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski |
| Succeeded by | Leon Kozłowski |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 28, 1895 Gorlice, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | June 15, 1934 (aged 39) Warsaw, Poland |
| Resting place | Cemetery in Nowy Sącz |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Political party | Non-partisan Block of Cooperation with the Government |
| Occupation | Politician, military officer |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | Polish Army |
| Battles/wars | Polish-Ukrainian War |
Bronisław Wilhelm Pieracki (28 May 1895 in Gorlice - 15 June 1934 in Warsaw) was a Polish military officer and politician. As member of Polish Legions in World War I, Pieracki took part in the Polish-Ukrainian War (1918–1919) and he later supported the 1926 May Coup of Józef Piłsudski. Pieracki was a deputy to Polish Sejm from Non-partisan Block of Cooperation with the Government in 1928 and afterwards deputy of Chief of Staff.
He was a minister of internal affairs from 27 May 1931[1] to the time of his death in 1934 and posthumously awarded Poland's highest civilian and military decoration, the Order of the White Eagle.
On 15 June 1934, Pieracki was assassinated by a Ukrainian nationalist from the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. His death gave the Sanacja government an excuse to the creation of the Bereza Kartuska Detention Camp, which was established only two days after Pieracki's assassination. The first detainees were almost the whole leadership of the Polish nationalist National Radical Camp (ONR) arrested on July 6–7, 1934, although ONR had no connection with Pieracki's assassination whatsoever.[2]
Stepan Bandera and Mykola Lebed were also sentenced to death for the assassination. The state would commute the sentences to life imprisonment but Lebed would escape when the Germans invaded Poland in 1939.[3]
Eventually, a total of 176 members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) were detained at the camp. Not a single death was reported among them in spite of draconian living conditions.[4]
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