Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian communist government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition. Thousands of opposition activists were jailed without charge and as many as 100 killed. Although martial law was lifted in 1983, many of the political prisoners were not released until a general amnesty in 1986.