OHA joins the AHA and other scholarly organizations in denouncing Poland’s legislation criminalizing statements discussing Polish complicity in Nazi war crimes and the Holocaust

The Oral History Association joins the American Historical Association in condemning Poland’s recently enacted legislation making it illegal to publicly discuss Polish complicity in Nazi war crimes. The law is a direct attack on free speech and scholarly inquiry. For Oral Historians, it is especially odious. Oral histories and survivor statements have played a central role in Holocaust scholarship. The Polish law essentially criminalizes the discussion of these narratives when the respondents mention Polish complicity. The AHA’s statement, which OHA and other scholarly organizations have signed, is available at this link: https://www.historians.org/news-and-advocacy/statements-and-resolutions-of-support-and-protest/aha-condemns-polish-law-criminalizing-public-discussion-of-polish-complicity-in-nazi-war-crimes