Milka Tyszkiewicz Needs Help !

Some comrades will remember Milka Tyszkiewicz speaking at meetings in the UK in the ‘80s and ‘90s. The appeal below on her behalf is from Marek Krukowski and Jozef Pinior. Marek is a Director of the Warsaw based Foundation for Freedom and Peace. The legendary socialist Solidarity underground leader, Jozef Pinior, later served terms as a Member of the European Parliament and the Polish Senate, elected on different party lists, but retaining his independent left status. A few quid will help Milka live a little better until her operation and hopefully her recovery afterwards.

Iwona Bogumila Tyszkiewicz, or Milka, was sentenced for the first time in 1982 in Elblag when she was still a schoolgirl to three years imprisonment, suspended for five years, for smuggling Solidarity leaflets and underground opposition journals. In the following years she was watched and threatened by the security services and sacked from a series of work-places.

In Wroclaw she was one of the activists of the legendary Orange Alternative. She also co-operated with the printing network associated with Fighting Solidarity, the Regional Strike Committee and the Freedom and Peace movement. From 1987 she took part in building the Polish Socialist Party (PPS) and the Polish Socialist Party – Democratic Revolution (PPS-RD). Owing to her involvement in the Orange Alternative and the PPS and PPS – RD, she was repeatedly detained for 48 hour periods. In 1988 she was sentenced to a fine of !0,000 zloty or three days imprisonment. After 1989 Mi?ka was active mainly in creating non-governmental organisations in Poland. She was involved in human rights work and in 1991 co-organised the first congress of organisations working on human rights. She created one of the first internet journals ‘Poslaniec’ (Messenger). She was active in the creation of the Green Party. In 2004-15 she worked with the Council of Europe’s Commission for Human Rights, as well as Jozef Pinior’s offices in the European Parliament and the Polish Senate.

Milka Tyszkiewicz is now ill with a brain tumour – fortunately not aggressive and possible to operate upon. Her prognosis is relatively good. On this basis Mi?ka has recently been recognised as a ‘grade 1’ disabled person and so gets a modest monthly benefit payment. Since she has been unable to stand up, she has been living in the Cardinal Wyszynski Support Centre of the Mutual Aid Association in Wroclaw. Milka’s treatment requires money for things like medicines, rehabilitation, medical appliances and quite a specific diet. She is currently using a borrowed walker and wheelchair. Mi?ka’s present condition makes it completely impossible for her to do paid work.

We appeal to people of good will for help so that Milka can get the medicine and rehabilitation that she needs. Owing to the kindness of the Foundation for Freedom and Peace (Fundacja Wolnoc I Pokoj) you can provide support by paying into its account no 14124061751111 00103789. Please add the reference (in Internet banking after you have specified the amount) that this is to help Milka Tyszkiewicz (‘na pomoc dla Milki’). Otherwise it will get mixed up with the Foundation’s other payments.

International transfers require the IBAN Code: PL14124061751111001037894118 and the Swift or BIC Code: PKOPPLPW.

The Bank is PEKAO SA in Warsaw, ul. Jasna 1 00-013 Warszawa. The account belongs to Fundacja Wolnoc I Pokoj, ul. Gwia?dzista 5 C m.7, 01-651 Warszawa.

Financial support to help Milka will be managed by Ms Agnieszka Danielewicz, Director of the Cardinal Wyszy?ski Centre for Mutual Aid in Wroc?aw. Any queries should be directed to her on tel. (00 48) 666 840 814 or danielewicz-a@wp.pl

All assistance will be gratefully received.

Jozef Pinior and Marek Krukowski
(translated by David Holland: dcholland@tiscali.co.uk)