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Zbigniew Romaszewski

Zbigniew Jan Romaszewski was a Polish conservative politician, and human rights activist. He was involved in opposition activities against the communist government in Poland and later served in the Senate of Poland.

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Zbigniew Romaszewski
Vice Marshal of the Senate
In office
28 November 2007 – 7 November 2011
Serving with Marek Aleksander Ziółkowski
Krystyna Bochenek
Preceded byRyszard Legutko
Maciej Płażyński
Krzysztof Putra
Marek Aleksander Ziółkowski
Succeeded byMaria Pańczyk-Pozdziej
Jan Wyrowiński
Stanisław Karczewski
Member of Senate
In office
4 July 1989 – 7 November 2011
Personal details
Born(1940-01-02)2 January 1940
Died13 February 2014(2014-02-13) (aged 74)
PartyLaw and Justice
Alma materUniversity of Warsaw

Zbigniew Jan Romaszewski (2 January 1940 – 13 February 20141) was a Polish conservative politician, and human rights activist. He was involved in opposition activities against the communist government in Poland and later served in the Senate of Poland.

Romaszewski was born in Warsaw during the Second World War.2 During the war, members of his family were imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. His father died at the Sachsenhausen2 concentration camp and his grandmother died at Ravensbrück . Romaszewski himself was imprisoned at Ravensbrück and later worked in a labor camp before being liberated by forces under George S. Patton. After the war, he was raised primarily by his mother and aunt.

Romaszewski studied physics at the University of Warsaw, and later earned a doctorate in physics from the Polish Academy of Sciences.3 In 1957, he met Zofia Romaszewska, whom he later married. Both participated in student and political activities during the post-Stalin political thaw in Poland.3

After the June 1976 protests he was cofounder of assurance to workers prosecuted by communist regime. He was one of the founders of the Workers' Defence Committee (KOR). He became Chief of Bureau of Intervention of the Committee for Social Self-defence KOR in 1977. In 1979 knew Andrej Sacharov. In 1980 he was the founder of the Helsinki Committee in Poland. In 1980-1981 he was chief of Commission of Intervention and Law-abidingness of Solidarity. During martial law in Poland he established independent Radio Solidarity. In 1982 he was arrested and jailed by the Communist regime until 1984.

In 2007 he was elected to the Senate from the electoral list of Law and Justice. From 28 November 2007 he was deputy marshal of Polish Senate.

He died at age 74 in a hospital in Warsaw, after a week of induced coma.1

References

References

  1. "Zbigniew Romaszewski nie żyje". RMF FM. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
  2. "Zbigniew and Zofia Romaszewski: Background". George W. Bush Presidential Center. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
  3. Yardley, William (2014-03-27). "Zbigniew Romaszewski, Physicist Who Resisted Poland's Communists, Dies at 74". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-10.
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