Draft:Sławomir Sikora

Sławomir Sikora (born 3 October 1964 in Warsaw) is a Polish investigative journalist, social activist, writer, entrepreneur, protagonist of Stefan in the Polish criminal non-fiction film The Debt, directed by Krzysztof Krauze.

After being convicted and imprisoned in 1994, he was pardoned by President Aleksander Kwasniewski in 2005 as a result of an intensive campaign on the Internet - 38,000 people signed the pardon application, including personal requests from the famous Polish public figures such as: director of the film The Debt Krzysztof Krauze, co-writer of the film Jerzy Morawski, Gazeta Wyborcza journalist Bogdan Wróblewski, Piotr Pytlakowski, Janina Paradowska, Jerzy Pilch, Paweł Moczydłowski, Andrzej Bałandynowicz, Piotr Kruszyński, Barbara Toruńczyk, Elżbieta Różańska, Władysław Frasyniuk, Jan Lityński, Paweł Poncyliusz, Jarosław Kaczyński, Lech Nikolski, Krzysztof Janik, prof. Maria Szyszkowska, Ninel Kameraz-Kos, Urszula Fuks, Jan Jagielski, Gen. Sławomir Petelicki, Krystian Legierski. Author of the books Mój dług (2004), Osadzony (2008), ''Mój dług. Moc przetrwania'' (2022), creator of one of the most widely read blogs "Spłacam dług" ("I pay off the debt") on Interia.pl (2005-2012).

Youth
He was born in Warsaw. He is the son of Włodzimierz Sikora and Ada Wanda Sikora, née Lipińska, on his mother's side, his grandfather Antoni Lipiński and grandmother Helena Lipińska, née Wojakowska. His grandfather died a tragic death in 1937, falling under an oncoming train on the Warsaw-Wesoła route. He was a wealthy man, working as a manager at the Adria restaurant. Jan Jagielski of the Jewish Historical Institute put forward the thesis that Antoni was pushed out under the oncoming train because he worked in the so-called "Two" – counterintelligence or intelligence. The Warsaw Adria was frequented by the most important luminaries of the Polish political scene, including military officers.

His father, Włodzimierz Sikora, came from the Beskid Żywiecki region. He came to Warsaw as a young boy and took a job at the newly built Huta Warszawa in Warsaw's Żoliborz district.

Grandmother Helena had three children: the eldest Zbigniew, the middle Ada Wanda and the youngest Stanisław. During World War II, the youngest son Stanisław was hidden with Salesian priests in Czerwińsk nad Wisłą throughout the war. Ada Wanda spent the war with the Loretto nuns at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Loretto near Wyszków. The eldest son Zbigniew and his mother spent the time of the German occupation in Praga in the main house of the Loretto nuns. Grandmother Helena was an active member of the PPS before the war. After the war, she was active in party structures after unification in the PZPR. Years later, he learned that he had Jewish ancestry from his mother. For many years, no one at home wanted to answer the question of why his grandmother did not have children by her side during World War II, but were placed in convents. He only got the answer after his mother's death from her friend Lidia Bajkowska, with whom she had a long friendship.

Sikora was baptized as a Catholic and received his first Holy Communion at the Sanctuary of St. Andrew Bobola in Warsaw.

Sikora attended the Zygmunt Modzelewski High School No. 49 (now: Goethe High School) in Warsaw, and in the third grade moved to the Klementyna Hoffman High School No. 9 in Śródmieście district. After graduating from high school, he was admitted to the Post-Secondary School for Social Workers on Obrońców Street in Saska Kępa. He graduated after three years. He received a year of dean's leave during his studies. High school, he admits, was a form of hiding from doing basic military service. He did his studies in pedagogy at the University of Health Education and Social Sciences in Łódź.

Since 1980 he practiced actively in the shotokan karate section of the Society for the Promotion of Physical Culture "Młodzieżowiec". He practiced there actively for nearly seven years until the section was disbanded. His coach was Andrzej Jędrocha. After that, he practiced in various places, but no longer as an associate.

Sikora tried to leave the country in the 1980s, like two of his friends, for Australia or the USA. He did not receive permission from the Military Complementary Headquarters to go abroad because he was a person under basic military service. He was called up for military service in 1987 to unit 4829 in Góra Kalwaria near Warsaw: Internal Defense Forces, Reconnaissance Company. In his military booklet, he was listed as a scout. It was an elite unit, called "Łapaje". He was one of the best soldiers in the so-called unitar, or basic training of soldiers. He was designated to take the oath as a distinguished soldier in front of the unit's banner. After a few weeks, he began to have neurological complications. He stayed in the unit's infirmary for more than 40 days, then in a military hospital on Szaserów Street in Warsaw. The results of a comprehensive examination led to the conclusion that he had symptoms of multiple sclerosis. He was given an 18-month break from service. He was not called back to the army.

In 1988 he enrolled in a club, where he trained in dance for several years. In 1989 he met Ryszard Sobociński, who was the Polish champion in dancing. Together they attended classes at the "Stodoła" student club in Warsaw. He stood on the gate at the student club "Klub Karuzela" in Wola. With his bouncer's card, he spent his time between dancing, working on the gate and searching for his place on earth in Warsaw student clubs: "Hybrydy", "Hades", "Klub Riviera Remont", "Klub Park" and "Stodoła". In the early 1990s, he began frequenting the "SARP" club on Foksal Street.

Conviction, imprisonment and pardon
As a young man he began his adventure in entrepreneurship. He ran various businesses in those days. In 1993, he met a colleague from years before, and after some time, the latter became his tormentor, resulting in the payment of racketeering fees. Together with his partner Artur Bryliński, he was the victim of extortion, beatings and intimidation.

On March 8, 1994, he and his accomplice carried out the murder of his tormentor Grzegorz G. and his bodyguard Mariusz K. He turned himself in to the police as a witness and admitted his involvement in the double murder near Maciejowice. The case was handled by prosecutor Dariusz Winiarek of the Otwock district prosecutor's office. In November 1997, he was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment by a panel of judges presided over by Judge Maria Tarasiewicz in the District Court, Department XVIII for the city of Warsaw, by an invalid sentence. In May 1999, the Court of Appeals for the City of Warsaw, presided over by Judge Teresa Rysinska, upheld the sentence of 25 years' imprisonment.

Sikora was sent to the Detention Center in Warsaw at Rakowiecka Street, where he remained until May 1995, after which he was transferred to the Penal Institution in Warsaw-Białołęka. He worked as a librarian, day care worker, cleaner and deposit storekeeper. He also participated in meetings organized by Gideons, in this case members of the Pentecostal church community from Sienna Street in Warsaw. This is how Andrzej Starzyński wrote about his meeting with Sikora:

It all started one Saturday, when after a meeting with a large group of inmates of the Bialoleka Penitentiary Institution, Stefan approached us, gave his personal information and said that he was facing a very high sentence, and that he "seriously" wanted to get acquainted with Christianity. He received from us a Bible and an invitation to another meeting. We rejoiced at this readiness of his, but for the next six months we did not see him at any meeting. Later, one of the prison's forced residents told us that a group of prisoners from the first ward, which we had somehow failed to reach, had been asking for a meeting for several months already. In this very group was Stefan, who had been transferred from another ward. From then on he was a regular participant in our meetings, and thanks to this we were able to participate in the process of his spiritual transformation.

In June 1999 he was transferred to the new Detention Center in Radom. In August 1999, he was taken to the Detention Center in Warsaw to study at the prison's printing school. Later transported to the Penitentiary in Potulice, in February 2000 - to the Penitentiary in Włocławek. He takes up a job at the prison television station. He also serves meals in the residential pavilion. During this time, he further educates himself with textbooks on economics and business management from the School of Economics.

While serving his sentence, Sikora prepared an exhibition on the Holocaust, at which Shevah Weiss, Israel's ambassador to Poland, and Bishop Bronisław Dembowski were present. From a colleague who ran his website and collected signatures for clemency, he learned about the neglected Skarszew Jewish cemetery. Taking advantage of a break in his sentence, he organized a campaign to clean up the necropolis.

He spent 10 years in the Warsaw-Białołęka and Włocławek prisons, including the period of his arrest. As of 2004, he was allowed a break in his sentence due to his health. He asked for pardon twice: in 2002 and 2003. He was finally pardoned by Aleksander Kwaśniewski on December 5, 2005 (Artur Bryliński was pardoned in December 2010 by President Bronisław Komorowski ).

Literary, journalistic and film activity
Sławomir Sikora became involved in the activities of the "Bartnicka 10" Prison Literary Club in Włocławek prison. His poem won first prize in a literary competition. During his sentence, he learned German, Russian while staying in a cell with citizens of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and learned English by correspondence.