The Constitutional Tribunal in Poland has ruled that it was unconstitutional to slash pensions of the architects of martial law in 1981.

The pensions paid to General Wojciech Jaruzelski and eight other communist leaders in the 1980s, which were cut by half, have now been reinstated in full.

In an unexpected twist in the ruling by the Constitutional Tribunal, however, pension cuts for former communist functionaries and members of the security services was ruled constitutional, however.

Jaruzelski’s pension was reduced from 8,500 zloty (around 2,000 euro) to 4,500 zloty. Along with the former communist head of state, 41,000 former secret police officers and secret service agents also took a pension cut as a result of the implementation of so-called de-ommunisation law which came into force on 1 January.

The law aimed to take privileges from former communist authorities and members of the secret security services (SB) such as high pension and right to hold public office.

The Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) - a descendant of the old communist party - asked the Constitutional Tribunal to examine whether the bill does not violate the Poland’s Constitution. (pg)