MAKYNA, Pavol: The District People’s Court in Púchov and the Case of Jozef Trnka in Documents (1945–1946)

In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, one of the principal tasks facing the re-established Czechoslovak Republic – which had aligned itself with the victors – was to confront the legacy of the former totalitarian regime and to bring its supporters to justice. Alongside many of the state's leading figures, local and regional officials of the wartime "ľudák" regime also stood before the so-called retribution courts.

Among them was Jozef Trnka, the district head of Púchov. The documents examined here trace the progress of his case through witness testimonies and the court proceedings held between May 1945 and February 1946. Archival records shed light on how the judiciary dealt with the grave charges levelled against Trnka – including his role in the deportation of Jewish residents, collaboration with the German occupiers, persecution of political opponents, and other offences listed in the indictment.