Poles turn down Pope on granting amnesty

The Polish government ruled out an amnesty for political prisoners requested by Pope John Paul II before his visit next month. The Pope had said he would like to see all political prisoners freed before he came. While the government said weekend clashes between Solidarity supporters and police would not affect the visit, it also said there was no humanitarian basis for amnesty. Meanwhile, a spokesman said authorities sacked the country's most widely known film director, Andrzei Wajda. He lost his post as director of a prominent Warsaw film unit for antistate activity.