Poland is experiencing alarming times. In some respects, its democracy seems to be returning to the times of communism.<\/p>\n
Two opposition deputies were arrested by the Police<\/big><\/p>\n This Tuesday, the country attended the unusual arrest of two conservative deputies, Mariusz Kami\u0144ski and Maciej W\u0105sik<\/a>, members of the Prawo i Sprawiedliwo\u015b\u0107 party (PiS, Law and Justice) at the residence of the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Doubt<\/strong>. The Police arrived at the palace to carry out the arrest, after a ruling by a court of second instance and without waiting for an appeal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The sentence in question refers to a corruption case that Kami\u0144ski and W\u0105sik uncovered in 2007, when they were part of the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA)<\/strong>. The Prosecutor's Office accused them of a crime of abuse of power and in 2014 the Warsaw District Court sentenced them to 2 and a half years in prison.<\/p>\n It was a very controversial case: the two were convicted for pursuing corruption.<\/strong> Given the scandal generated by that judicial conviction, in 2015 Duda granted them a pardon<\/a>. However, in 2017 the Supreme Court declared the pardon illegal<\/a>, but a year later the Constitutional Court declared it legal<\/a>. Thus, this new judicial sentence is about a case that expired due to a pardon confirmed by the Constitutional Court.<\/p>\n A violation of the parliamentary immunity conferred on them by the Constitution<\/big><\/p>\n As if that were not enough, this new conviction has violated the parliamentary immunity of those two deputies<\/strong>, an immunity that Article 105 of the Polish Constitution states in point 2: \"From the day of the announcement of the results of the elections until the day of the expiration of his mandate, a deputy will not be subjected to criminal liability without the consent of the Sejm<\/strong>\".<\/em> Furthermore, point 3 adds: \"Criminal proceedings initiated against a person before the day of his election as a deputy shall be suspended at the request of the Sejm until the expiration of his mandate<\/strong>. In such case, the limitation period regarding of the criminal process will be extended for the equivalent time.\"<\/em><\/p>\n An assault on Justice denounced by the Supreme Court<\/big><\/p>\n What is happening in Poland is a case of judicial corruption resulting from the politicization of Justice<\/strong>. So it is Ma\u0142gorzata Manowska, the first president of the Supreme Court, has denounced<\/a>: \"only now has politics entered the Supreme Court so openly, that it is now used in a ruthless political struggle.\"<\/em><\/p>\n In this whole matter, the role of the Marshal of the Sejm (president of the Congress), Szymon Ho\u0142ownia, is being very controversial<\/strong>. Ho\u0142ownia belongs to Polska 2050, one of the parties of the center-left coalition headed by Donald Tusk<\/a> that took power in Poland after the October 2023 legislative elections, in which PiS won, but without a sufficient majority to govern. The first President of the Supreme Court has denounced<\/a>:<\/p>\n \"Mr. Mariscal, in collaboration with the president of the Chamber of Labor, evaded the procedure for circulating documents in force before the Supreme Court. In addition, they jointly tried to determine the composition of the court and forcibly remove the judges of the IKNiSP<\/strong> [Extraordinary Verification and Public Affairs Chamber] of its functions. These are unprecedented actions<\/strong>.\"<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Supreme Court denounces \"a significant violation of the legal order\"<\/big><\/p>\n This Monday, the Supreme Court denounced<\/a> that Ho\u0142ownia has committed \"a significant violation of the legal order of the Republic of Poland\"<\/em><\/strong>, in relation to the fact that he was the one who chose where to file the appeal Kami\u0144ski's appeal against Ho\u0142ownia's decision to annul his mandate as a deputy. Likewise, the court has noted regarding Ho\u0142ownia's actions: \"Not only do they constitute a violation of national law, but they also have no basis in the ruling of the CJEU<\/strong> [Court of Justice of the Union European] of December 21 of last year.\"<\/em><\/p>\n Donald Tusk threatens to arrest the President of the Republic<\/big><\/p>\n The authoritarian drift and the copu on the Rule of Law that the new Polish center-left government is committing was completed this Tuesday with a threat by Prime Minister Tusk to arrest the President of the Republic<\/a>, a threat that has caused a scandal in Poland. Given these serious facts, mobilizations are being prepared in Poland<\/a> in support of the detainees and against the illegal actions of the new government. <\/p>\n Morawiecki denounces that there are political prisoners in Poland again<\/big><\/p>\n This Wednesday, former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki denounced<\/a>: \"For the first time in 35 years<\/strong>, since the fall of communism and the great victory of Poles over totalitarianism, we have political prisoners in Poland<\/strong>...\"<\/em> The former prime minister denounces that Kami\u0144ski and W\u0105sik \"are victims of the political revenge of Donald Tusk's new government.\"<\/em> Morawiecki added: \"I appeal to the democratic community of the West not to look passively at what is happening in Poland today.<\/strong>\"<\/em><\/p>\n The President of the Republic denounces an \"ostentatious violation of the Polish Constitution\"<\/big><\/p>\n In the last few hours, the President of the Republic has denounced<\/a> \"the ostentatious violation of the Polish Constitution<\/strong>\"<\/em> carried out with these arrests by the Police in the presidential palace. Given the indignation among the Polish opposition, Duda, who is a member of PiS, has communicated: \"I call for calm.<\/strong> In Poland it is allowed to gather and participate in demonstrations. But I ask you to make these demonstrations peaceful, dignified and peaceful<\/strong>.\"<\/em><\/p>\n Duda also called for hope: \"I deeply believe that with fair and honest methods consistent with the principles of democracy, we can restore justice in the Polish State<\/strong>.\"<\/em> And he added: \"Justice, honesty and a free Poland must win. This is our duty today.\"<\/em><\/p>\n The illegal assault on public media by the new government<\/big><\/p>\n The arrest of the two conservative deputies this week is not the only attack on the rule of law being carried out by the new center-left government, formed by the Polish allies of the European People's Party and the Socialist International.<\/strong>, among others. On December 20, the illegal assault on Polish Television by the new government<\/a> in December, resorting to the Police to take control of that public medium. The assault was carried out ignoring an order from the Constitutional Court<\/strong> issued a few days earlier, which prevented changes in publicly owned media until a ruling is issued on the matter.<\/p>\n In an openly illegal manner, the new government not only dismissed the directors<\/strong> of Polish Television (TVP), Polish Radio and the Polish News Agency (PAP), but also all the members of its supervisory boards<\/strong>, an action that the President of the Republic considered a violation of \"constitutional principles and the law.\" That assault on public media<\/strong> was harshly condemned by the Association of Polish Journalists (SDP)<\/a>, which denounced \"outrageous violations of the standards of a democratic state.\"<\/em><\/p>\n National Media Council reinstates supervisors deposed by Tusk<\/big><\/p>\n This Wednesday, the National Media Council confirmed in their positions the TVP supervisors dismissed by the government<\/a>: Maciej \u0141opi\u0144ski, Przemys\u0142aw Tejkowski and Rados\u0142aw W\u0142oszek. The Council added:\"The Supervisory Board in this composition has the right to carry out the tasks provided for this body in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Commercial Companies, the Broadcasting Law and the Articles of Association of the Company.\"<\/em> It is a clear disavowal of the assault by the Tusk government.<\/strong><\/p>\n The new government and its assault on the Judiciary<\/big><\/p>\n On December 20, the same day of the assault on public media, the government parties passed a resolution in the Sejm<\/a> to demand that members of the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS) immediately cease their activities<\/strong>, all without the new government does not have a sufficient majority or legal support to remove them. The KRS is in charge of ensuring the independence of Justice in Poland and the new government intends to liquidate it without further ado.<\/strong><\/p>\n Abascal: \"they are destroying the rule of law even faster than here in Spain\"<\/big><\/p>\n From Spain, this Wednesday the president of Vox, Santiago Abascal<\/strong> (his party is a partner of the Polish party PiS) affirmed<\/a>: \"The news coming from Poland is worrying. The allies of S\u00e1nchez and Feijoo<\/strong> (associated in Poland in a government of losers) they are destroying the rule of law even faster than here in Spain<\/strong>.\"<\/em><\/p>\n
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