Wreath-laying ceremony at the Katyn Epitaph by the Prison Service
On 14 April, a commemorative ceremony honouring the victims of the Katyn massacre was held at the Katyn Epitaph at the Katyn Museum. The event paid tribute to officers, chaplains and personnel of the prison service of the Second Polish Republic who — alongside members of the Polish Armed Forces, the State Police and other formations — fell victim to the repressions of the Soviet regime.
The ceremony, organised by the Prison Service, was attended by representatives of the Polish Ministry of Justice, including Deputy Minister of Justice Maria Ejchart and the Director General of the Prison Service, Colonel Renata Niziołek, accompanied by her deputies. Also in attendance were representatives of the Polish Army Museum: Deputy Director Magdalena Rochnowska and the Head of the Katyn Museum, Sebastian Karwat, as well as officers from Warsaw penitentiary units and invited guests.
The ceremony commenced with a formal report, followed by a historical introduction outlining the fate of officers of the pre-war Prison Guard who became victims of Soviet genocide in 1940. Their memory remains a vital element of the contemporary identity of the service and its commitment to serving a free Poland.
This was followed by a Roll of Remembrance, during which the names of the murdered were read aloud, and the Prison Service Representative Company fired a ceremonial volley.
The central element of the ceremony was the laying of wreaths at the epitaph plaques commemorating the victims of the Katyn massacre. Participants also lit candles at the Oak of Remembrance dedicated to the unknown victims of the crime.
