Ryszard Siwiec
Polish accountant known for anti-communist self-immolation / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ryszard Siwiec (Polish pronunciation: [ˈrɨʂart ˈɕivjɛt͡s]; 7 March 1909 – 12 September 1968) was a Polish accountant and former Home Army resistance member who was the first person to commit suicide by self-immolation in protest against the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. Although his act was captured by a motion picture camera,[1] Polish press omitted any mention of the incident, which was successfully suppressed by the authorities. Siwiec prepared his plan alone, and few people realized what he tried to achieve with his sacrifice. His story remained mostly forgotten until the fall of communism, when it was first recounted in a documentary film by Polish director Maciej Drygas. Since then, Siwiec has been posthumously awarded a number of Czech, Slovak, and Polish honours and decorations.
Ryszard Siwiec | |
---|---|
Born | (1909-03-07)7 March 1909 |
Died | 12 September 1968(1968-09-12) (aged 59) |
Cause of death | Burns from self-immolation |
Nationality | Polish |
Occupation(s) | accountant, teacher |
Known for | self-immolation |
Spouse | Maria Siwiec (m. 1945–1968; his death) |
Children | 5 |
Awards | Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk In memoriam (2001) Order of Polonia Restituta Komtur (2003) Order of the White Double Cross In memoriam (2006) |
Siwiec's death foreshadowed the much better known self-immolation of Jan Palach in Prague four months later. Siwiec was the first person from Central and Eastern Europe to self-immolate in protest of the invasion.[2][3]