- After their arrest in the presidential palace, two parliamentarians from the national conservative PiS who were convicted of abuse of office ended up in prison.
- One of the detainees, former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski, has gone on hunger strike, his party said on Platform X.
- The case of the two politicians led to an escalation of the conflict on Tuesday between the new center-left government of Donald Tusk and the camp of the national conservative PiS.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, who comes from the PiS, received former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and his former State Secretary Maciej Wasik in the Presidential Palace on Tuesday. Actually, the two of them should have started their prison sentence for abuse of office at this time.
In the meantime, it looked as if the wanted PiS politicians had found protection in the palace. In the afternoon, Kaminski and Wasik spoke up in the courtyard. «We are not hiding. At the moment we are with Poland’s president until evil loses,” said Kaminski. He didn’t say how long they planned to stay there.
On Tuesday evening, the police entered the area and arrested the politicians. According to Polish media reports, Duda is said to have left the building beforehand.
Legend:
Supporters of the opposition in Poland protested on Tuesday in front of the presidential palace against the arrest of the two PiS politicians.
Keystone/EPA/Radek Pietruszka
Kaminski and Wasik were taken to the correctional facility, the police in Warsaw announced on Platform X late Tuesday evening. A group of PiS MPs, including party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, gathered at night in front of the prison in the Grochow district of Warsaw. He described Kaminski and Wasik as “political prisoners” and demanded entry into the prison in vain.
On X, formerly Twitter, Kaminski called his conviction a “political revenge.” President Duda said he was deeply shocked by the arrest of the two politicians. He wouldn’t rest until they were free again.
Conflict escalates
The incident brings the power struggle between the voted-out government and the new Polish government to a head. The conflict could turn into a national crisis for the EU and NATO country. A parliamentary session originally planned for Wednesday was postponed until next week due to the chaotic situation.
The new Prime Minister Donald Tusk threatened Duda and PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski that they would be held responsible for “sabotage of the constitution”. He also warned that the incident would lead Poland to a “very dangerous situation.” The actions targeted the foundations of the state.
Pardoned by Duda
The case of the two PiS politicians has a long history. Duda originally pardoned the two in a case of abuse of office. Last June, a court overturned the pardon.
Wasik and Kaminski had to face the trial again. At the end of December, the Warsaw District Court sentenced her to two years in prison. The court also ordered that both PiS politicians should not hold public office for five years and should lose their parliamentary mandate.
Duda had emphasized several times in the past few days that, in his opinion, the pardon continued to apply – but leading constitutional lawyers in Poland saw it differently. Both politicians had announced that they wanted to continue to fulfill their mandate as representatives and appear at parliamentary sessions.