Warsaw Process

Warsaw Process – one of the biggest trials against the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in Second Polish Republic. Took place 18 November 1935 – 13 January 1936.

Stepan Bandera, Mykola Lebed, and others were accused of being members of the OUN and of assassination of Polish Minister of Internal Affairs Bronisław Pieracki that happened on 15 June 1934.

The day when the verdict was announced was declared by Ukrainian community as a day of national mourning.

The accused

During the Warsaw process was judged twelve members of the OUN: Stepan Bandera, Bohdan Pidhainy, Mykola Lebed, Yaroslav Karpynets, Mykola Klymyshyn, Dariya Hnatkivska, Yaroslav Rak, Yakiv Chorniy, Kateryna Zarytska, Ivan Malyutsa, Roman Myhal and Yevhen Kachmarsky.

Defenders

Lawyers of the defendants were:

1. Volodymyr Horbovy (Bandera, Chorniy, Kachmarsky);
2. Yaroslav Shlapak (Karpynets, Malyutsa);
3. Lev Hankevych (Lebed, Hnatkivska, Rak, Pidhainy);
4. Oleksander Paventsky (Klymyshyn, Zarytska).

Penalty

After a two month process in Warsaw court sentences the accused are:

• Stepan Bandera, Mykola Lebed and Yaroslav Karpynets sentenced to death, but according to a government amnesty, a sentence commuted to life imprisonment;
• Mykola Klymyshyn, Bohdan Pidhainy sentenced to life imprisonment;
• Dariya Hnatkivska sentenced to 15 years in prison;
• Ivan Malyutsa, Roman Myhal and Yevhen Kachmarsky - 12 years in prison;
• Kateryna Zarytska - 8 years in prison;
• Yaroslav Rak and Yakiv Chorny - for 7 years in prison.

The court also denied Hnatkivska, Malyutsa, Kachmarsky, Myhal, Chorny, Zarytska and Rak civil rights for 10 years.

Sources

• (In Ukrainian) The Warsaw Act of indictment against Stepan Bandera and his comrades / Ed. by Mykola Posivnych. Lviv, 2005.
• (In Polish) Żeleński W. Zabójstwo ministra Pierackiego.