Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the
authoritarian communist government of the
People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing
martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition. Thousands of opposition activists were
jailed without charge and as many as 100 killed. Although martial law was lifted in 1983, many of the
political prisoners were not released until a general
amnesty in 1986.