Archaeologists uncovered the remains of 8 more individuals at the Bródnowski cemetery, Warsaw, while looking for victims of the communist terror in Poland in the 2nd half of 1940s.

The excavations were conducted at the 45N plot of the cemetery, where the communist have buried victims of their terror murdered in the prisons of Warsaw’s Praga district. During three days of excavations remains of eight individuals were discovered. Investigation of the remains revealed bullet holes in the back of the skulls of the skeletons, confirming they belonged to the murdered people.

According to the researchers the individuals were shot from close range or possibly have been strangled to death. There are no traces of coffins or crates, so the individuals were possibly thrown into shallow pits measuring 50-60 centimetres in depth.

Among the objects found by the remains are pieces of clothing, buttons, shoes. One of the individuals had a gorget with an image of Black Madonna of Częstochowa, one of the holiest paintings of the Virgin Mary with Baby Jesus in Poland.

The investigation at the Bródnowski Cemetery was aimed at locating the remains of lieutenant colonel Edward “Tama” Pisula, the leader of “Kedyw” or Directorate for Subversion of the Polish underground Home Army during World War II, specialized in active and passive sabotage, propaganda and armed action against Nazi German forces and collaborators. Pisula was one of the many who were executed by the communists after World War II and buried in an undisclosed location.

During previous excavations at the site, conducted in 2015, remains of six adults and one child were found, three of which were shot in the back of the head as well. They were identified as victims murdered at the communist prison at the 11th November street in Warsaw in 1940s.

(after Wprost, TVN Warszawa & Instytut Pamięci Narodowej)