„Przestępstwa wrześniowe” w orzecznictwie Sądu Specjalnego w Katowicach (Sondergericht Kattowitz). Część I: przestępstwa przeciwko życiu
„September crimes” in the case law of the Special Court in Katowice (Sondergericht Kattowitz). Part I: Crimes against life

Summary/Abstract: The two-part study concerns the so-called “September crimes” (i.e. the actions of Poles on grounds of nationality against Germans after the outbreak of World War II) in the jurisprudence of the Special Court in Katowice (Sondergericht Kattowitz). The general statistics of “September crimes” judged by Sondergericht were divided into three categories: crimes against life, crime against health and crimes against freedom. In the first part of the study an analysis of proceedings in cases concerning “September crimes” against life was conducted. Particular attention was paid to the quality of the evidentiary proceedings conducted by the court, the legal and factual presumptions used, the consideration of the credibility of particular evidence and the legal classifi cation of crimes. The first part of the study also discusses the jurisprudence of other special courts operating in Poland in these matters, first of all the Special Court in Bydgoszcz (Sondergericht Bromberg). In outline, war activities in Upper Silesia at the beginning of September 1939 were also presented, with particular reference to places where “September crimes” took place, which then came under the judgment of the Sondergericht Kattowitz.

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