Krzyz-zeslancow-sybiru_Polska_67738798zlcm

The Siberian Exiles Cross ( pl, Krzyż Zesłańców Sybiru) is a

state decoration A state decoration is an object, such as a medal or the insignia of an order, that is awarded by a sovereign state to honor the recipient. The term includes: *Civil awards and decorations *Military awards and decorations See also * State order ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

awarded by

President of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Pola ...

. It was established on October 17, 2003 in order to recognise and commemorate the sufferings of Polish citizens deported to

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive region, geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

and

Northern Russia Russian North (russian: Русский Север) is an ethnocultural region situated in the northwestern part of Russia. It spans the regions of Arkhangelsk Oblast, the Republic of Karelia, Komi Republic, Vologda Oblast and Nenets Autonomous ...

from 1939–1956. The cross memorialises their devotion to the ideals of freedom and independence. The Military Department of the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression takes part in the award process by recording and verifying the motions pertaining to veterans. In 2006 the decoration was a matter of controversy. A clerk added the name of General

Wojciech Jaruzelski Wojciech Witold Jaruzelski (; 6 July 1923 – 25 May 2014) was a Polish military officer, politician and ''de facto'' leader of the Polish People's Republic from 1981 until 1989. He was the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party b ...

to the list of awardees and President signed the list. Jaruzeski was indeed exiled to Altai Krai in 1941, but he was also behind the martial law in Poland during the anti-Communist protests in the country. When the error was revealed Jaruzelski returned the decoration to President. He remarked that at first he thought that President

Lech Kaczyński Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010. Before his tenure as president, he pre ...

stood above the historical political split and that the issue is beyond only him, because thousands of Poles had shared the same fate and they probably deserve the award as well."Generał Jaruzelski odesłał Krzyż prezydentowi"
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References

Civil awards and decorations of Poland {{orders-medals-stub