Piotr Paweł Szczęsny (6 July 1963, Kraków – 29 October 2017, Warsaw) was a Polish chemist and a

Mensa Mensa may refer to: * Mensa International, an organization for people with a high intelligence quotient (IQ) * Mensa (name), a name and list of people with the given name or surname * Mensa (constellation), a constellation in the southern sky * Men ...

member who committed suicide by immolation in protest against the policies of the ruling

Law and Justice Law and Justice ( pl, Prawo i Sprawiedliwość , PiS) is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Poland. Its chairman is Jarosław Kaczyński. It was founded in 2001 by Jarosław and Lech Kaczyński as a direct su ...

government. He studied chemistry at

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

and became a member of the

Independent Students' Union Independent Students' Association ( pl, Niezależne Zrzeszenie Studentów, NZS) is a Polish student society, created in October 1980, in the aftermath of the Gdańsk Agreement and the anti-government strike actions (see: History of Solidarity). It ...

. He worked in the 1980s in the " Solidarność" union federation. After graduation, he remained as an assistant at the university, and began his doctoral thesis. After 1989, he left the university and became co-founder of a publishing house, which edited manuals on chemistry. For ten years, he held the post of Chairman of a Society for Continuing Vocational Training. He worked as a consultant on business issues. In 2016 he closed his company. He burned himself as a sign of political protest. On 19 October 2017, he distributed copies of a self-composed leaflet in front of the

Palace of Culture and Science A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

, poured flammable liquid over himself and set himself on fire. He died in the

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

ten days later. Following Szczęsny's death, the government media declared him mentally unstable. Szczęsny lived in Niepołomice; his wife is a pharmacist and their two children were studying for their doctorates. He was not involved in any political action of the Polish opposition and had suffered from depression for the last eight years of his life. In a letter to his family, he stated that his deed was not motivated by his condition. Szczęsny's suicide received considerable publicity and a march held to honour him was attended by several hundred people. Piotr Szczęsny was buried on 14 November 2017 at the Kraków

Salwator Cemetery Salwator Cemetery ( pl, Cmentarz Salwatorski, links=no), is a historic cemetery in the Salwator neighborhood of Kraków located north-west of the city centre. It was consecrated in 1865. History The Salwator Cemetery is also known as the Zwierzy ...

in the presence of thousands of mourners from all over Poland.

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Ja, zwykły, szary człowiek wolność kocham ponad wszystko – list do rodaków

Mourning Poland’s Anti-Populist Martyr 26 October 2017

Polish Man Dies After Setting Self On Fire In Protest 30 October 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Szczesny, Piotr Polish chemists Mensans Suicides by self-immolation Suicides in Poland 1963 births 2017 suicides 2017 deaths

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