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On 18 July 1974 a wide-ranging amnesty was proclaimed which covered all sentences up to 2 years, but which affected political prisoners only marginally. Although Professor Jerzy Bafia, First Chairman of the Supreme Court, denied the existence of political "delinquency" in Poland, he nevertheless admitted that "there are a few persons in the penal establishments who might be said to have committed offences of a political character and to whom the amnesty may apply". Shortly afterwards it was officially admitted that seven persons had been imprisoned for political offences.
Meanwhile, several political prisoners were released in November 1974, among them three leaders of the “Ruch” group-persons who were sentenced in 1971 to prison terms ranging from 4 to 7 years for alleged anti-state activities. Uncon- firmed reports from Poland nevertheless allege that more than 80 militants of the illegal pro-Albanian "Communist Party of Poland", led by Kazimierz Mijal, were arrested during the last year and sentenced to long prison terms. (The offi- cial ruling party is called the Polish United Workers' Party: officially there is no Communist Party in Poland.)
Portugal
After the April 1974 coup that overthrew the government of Prime Minister Marcelo Caetano, the new Portugese Armed Forces Movement (MFA) government released all the prisoners of the former regime and initially restored freedom of expression, Amnesty International continued to collect information on released prisoners in order to allocate relief funds for those in need of after-care.
After the two abortive coups of September 1974 and March 1975, which resulted in President Antonio de Spinola's exile and the radicalization of the MFA, a new category of people was arrested. It comprised bankers' and businessmen, former members of the ousted government, members of wealthy families, several hundred soldiers and officers of the armed forces who opposed the policies of the new government, and, more recently, approximately 200 members of the now-banned Maoist Party, the MRPP (Movimento de reorganização do Partido do Proletariado). It appears that habeas corpus has been suspended for those under military jurisdiction, that none have been charged, that many of them have been discouraged or prevented from seeing a lawyer, and that a “revolutionary tribunal" will be organized to judge those allegedly responsible for the 11 March coup attempt.
Press reports estimate that more than 500 prisoners are still held for political reasons-a figure that takes no account of the 1,000 members of the former political police (PIDE) detained on criminal charges. In June 1975, an AI mission consisting of Secretary General Martin Ennals, French lawyer Christian Bourguet and Josette Bos of the Research Department, visited Lisbon and discussed this situation with President Costa Gomes and other government officials.
Romania
Amnesty International is currently working on nine cases which roughly divide into two main categories: persons imprisoned for religious beliefs and members of ethnic minorities. The best known are Vasile Rascol, a Pentecostal
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