General Zbigniew Nowek – social activist, commander of the special services (1959–2019)

Zbigniew Nowek (1959–2019) – since the late 1970s, an activist of the democratic opposition. In 1980–1981, he was the chairman of the Independent Students’ Association of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. Co-founder of the independent publishing house «Alternatywy». During the period of martial law, he was the publisher and printer of huge amounts of leafl ets and underground newspapers in Gdańsk, as well as books, postcards, posters, etc. In 1998–2001, head of the State Protection Offi ce, in 2005–2008, head of the Intelligence Agency, elevated to the rank of general, in 2010 r. deputy head of the National Security Bureau.