Poland charges communist-era president

WARSAW, Poland, April 17 (UPI) -- A state committee in Warsaw on Tuesday ruled former Communist President Wojciech Jaruzelski and eight others can be charged for imposing martial law in 1981.

The Institute for National Commemoration ruled there was nothing stopping the charges against Jaruzelski, 83, and the others, who include former chiefs of military intelligence and Poland's then-official United Worker's Party, Deutsche Welle reported.

If convicted on the charge of running a criminal organization, Jaruzelski could be sentenced to 10 years in prison, the report said.

Jaruzelski said at the time martial law was critical to prevent a Soviet intervention as Lech Walensa's Solidarity party was growing in popularity and civil unrest was running high.

During the martial law imposition that began Dec. 13, 1981, scores of people died in police custody and as many as 90,000 others were arrested by thee communist regime.