Toronto (August 16, 2021) - Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) applauds today's decision by an appeals court in Poland to reject a lawsuit brought against two Holocaust scholars, including an Ottawa professor.

The Appellate Court of Warsaw's decision comes six months after a lower court ordered the scholars, Professor Barbara Engelking of the Polish Center for Holocaust Research in Warsaw and Professor Jan Grabowski from the University of Ottawa, to apologize to a woman who claimed her deceased uncle had been slandered in their book Night Without End, which suggested he helped kill Jews during the Holocaust.

"This is an incredible win for all who support Holocaust research and seekers of truth," said Michael Levitt, president and CEO of FSWC. "As distortion and denial of atrocities committed against Jewish people by Polish citizens during the Holocaust run rampant in Poland, we cannot allow historians to be attacked and silenced. We are hopeful that this ruling sets a precedent to protect scholars and support Holocaust research and education at a time when we need it most."