Polish communist jailed for Solidarity crackdown A Polish communist-era interior minister has been handed a two-year suspended jail term for his role in the crackdown on the pro-democracy trade union movement, Solidarity The court found 86-year-old General Czeslaw Kiszczak, who did not attend, guilty of orchestrating martial law in 1981. It led to the death or disappearance of nearly 100 people and the jailing of thousands. Communist dictator General Wojciech Jaruzelski ordered martial law on December 13th of that year. The 88-year-old, who had risked up to ten years in prison, escaped prosecution on medical grounds. He is suffering from cancer. Jaruzelski opened talks with Solidarity in 1989, paving the way for a democratically-elected government the following year. More about: Communism, Martial law, Poland, Protest, Trial