[1.] Rank, name, and surname of the interviewee:
Rifleman Piotr Sałdan
[2.] The expulsion of the civilian population (its course and conditions):
On 25 November 1939, I was arrested and imprisoned in Przemyśl. The conditions in this prison were terrible: small cells, plenty of people, poor food (300 g of bread), and dirt everywhere. There was no way of washing [ourselves], so lice appeared. From Przemyśl, we were taken to Russia (Chernihiv). The road was tormenting: [we traveled] in prisoner wagons with 18 people in each compartment. Food: dry salted fish, 400 g of bread per day, and half a liter of water. Many people died because of the heat and the lack of air.
[3.] Methods of interrogating and torturing the arrestee during investigation:
The investigating authorities conducted investigations in a very harsh manner, using various methods of repression, such as awakening a prisoner at midnight with a loud cry. Under the threat of shooting from the revolvers, they were forcing people to confess their guilt, despite one’s innocence. There were cases where the NKVD shot at a prisoner to arouse fear. Being in such a dangerous situation, the prisoner confessed to the crimes he didn’t commit. This way, the authorities created an alibi to pass a sentence onto the innocent victim.
[4.] Court procedures, ruling in absentia, ways of delivering verdicts (particularly desirable are full texts of judgements):
The verdict was given orally or in writing by, as they were called, “the three”, who issued verdicts at their own discretion for three to 10 years in the Lager [work camp], up to the end of the war.
[5.] Cases of people who were murdered during their march, during their deportations, during their stay in prison, or during their work as forced laborers:
During the march or any transport of people, a wide variety of penalties including the death penalty were applied. Therefore, whenever one of the deportees weakened on the way, they were immediately beaten and shot.
[7.] Life in the forced labor camps:
Life in the work camp was tough. They imposed enormous standards on people who could not meet them, for example, digging out a cubic meter of land frozen two meters into the ground filled with stones. The severe frost conditions made it impossible to manage this standard, because in the 50-degree frost, a man becomes incapable of work, especially if he is exhausted due to poor living conditions.
Place of stay, 16 March 1943