Stanislaw Kociolek, Polish communist politician, died at 82

  Dead Famous

Stanisław Kociołek, born on May 3, 1933 and died October 1, 2015, often referred to as the “butcher of Tri-City”, was a Communist official who served as deputy prime minister of Poland for six months in 1970.

After the fall of Communism, he was charged with crimes committed in Gdansk and Gdynia during the Polish 1970 protests.

Stanislaw personally approved the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR) order issued with Zenon Kliszko, for the regular Army to fire at striking workers in Polish shipyards, which resulted in hundreds of people being killed indiscriminately.

Initially, Stanislaw worked as head-master at an elementary school near Iława following World War Two, and in 1957 graduated from Warsaw University.

He joined the communist party at his alma mater, and served as leader of its own PZPR party-cell.

Stanislaw quickly rose to become the first secretary of the Warsaw Committee of PZPR (1958–1960 and 1963–1964), as well as the secretary of Socialist Youth Association.

Between December 1967 and July 1970 Stanislaw was the first secretary of communist party in Gdansk.

During the massacre of shipyard workers in 1970 Stanislaw served as deputy prime minister. Afterwards, he was sent abroad to various diplomatic posts, for his own safety.

He was brought back to Warsaw for the crushing of the Solidarity trade union, and during the Martial law in Poland resided in Moscow as ambassador.

Stanislaw returned to Poland in 1985, and was charged with communist crimes in 1995, after the collapse of communism.

On October 1, 2015, Stanislaw died at the age of 82.