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Roman Kisiel was born in 1916 in the small village of Bystrowice near Jarosław. Before the outbreak of World War II, he worked as a merchant. He also served in the Polish Army. During the war, Kisiel was active in the armed underground against the Nazi Germans who occupied Poland. He was the commander of an armed detachment that also defended the Polish population against attacks by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army troops. He continued his political and underground activities after the end of World War II. For many years he was involved in the Polish People's Party. After 1945, as an independence campaigner and organiser, he was keenly surveiled by the communist repression apparatus. At that time, Poland found itself in the sphere of influence of the USSR, which forcibly imposed a new political, social, and economic system. After the end of World War II, Kisiel was arrested and persecuted many times by the communist authorities. Being convinced of the upcoming international conflict, he founded an armed independence organization called the Polish Insurgent Armed Forces. Its goal was to fight for a free and independent Poland. This organization was infiltrated by the communist repression apparatus: as a result, Kisiel and his associates were deprived of their liberty. After his release, Kisiel continued to be persecuted by the political authorities and was of interest to the totalitarian state. His opponents accused him of treason and pursuing private goals. His close associates valued him for being faithful to his ideals and for devoting his life to fighting for a democratic Poland. The figure of Roman Kisiel is appreciated by many researchers, yet he also has strong opponents. |
