MARIAN MRUGALSKI

[1.] Military rank, surname and name of the witness:

Corporal Second Ensign Marian Mrugalski.

[2.] Conditions and process of forced displacement of the civilians:

I was arrested for crossing the Romanian border, Śniatyń – Kuty in Tuczapy.

[3.] Interrogations and tortures of those arrested during the investigation:

During the interrogation they tried various methods on me and my colleagues – holding a gun to the head, beating on the neck, starvation, cigarettes with opium, threats and so forth. Second Ensign and I can verbally name others [illegible].

[4.] Court procedure, default judgements, way of announcing sentences (texts of the sentences are very desirable):

For crossing the Romanian border, escaping the USSR with the intent of joining Polish legions, I was sentenced to five years of prison and forced labor near Pechora, where I was to build the iron road. I was in prison for nine months before they sent me there.

[5.] Cases of people being killed during marching, forced labor, in transports or prisons etc.:

On 1 January 1941, we arrived in the prison in Odessa. On route, a couple of Polish people made an escape attempt, and some of them were shot. There was a review right after that. They ordered us to undress and to stand barefoot in the snow. It was about 30 degrees below zero. The review lasted several hours. In the prison in Odessa, engineer Czaplicki from Lwów died in my arms. Rożen, Lieutenant Coronel Rożen’s brother, and many others also died.

Second Ensign Stelmaszyński and I, as we were there together for seven months, we can provide many other facts and more details.

[7.] Life in labor camps (organization, conditions of work):
Until they established the rural settlements Głusza no. 44 and 45 (Komi ASSR), we were
sleeping under the stars for a month, without a roof above our heads. We were working
without a break from 4 AM to 7 PM, no matter the weather. After a month they built the
huts, later barracks. Bedbugs, lice and rats were there. There was no health care. Between
one and three Poles died every day – on the road, during work or in barracks before their
colleagues’ eyes.

I refer to Second Ensign Stelmaszyński’s statement. We can tell about this in more detail.