Poland investigates former Czechoslovak head for deaths during Communism

The Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) in Poland has launched criminal proceedings against Lubomír Štrougal, former Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia (1970 to 1988), for the deaths of Polish refugees caused by high voltage electrified fences near the Bratislava border with Austria. The cases were presented to the Institute of National Remembrance by the Platform of European Memory and Conscience under the JUSTICE 2.0 project, aiming at reaching justice for international crimes which occurred under Communism. The Platform accuses 92 year old Štrougal as being responsible for the deaths of at least 60 individuals who were electrocuted at the Iron Curtain during Communism. During his role as Minister of the Interior, the Iron Curtain was electrified at between 4,000 to 6,000 volts, killing those refugees who tried to escape Communism to the West.