In Poland, the conflict between the new and the old government camp is coming to a head: two convicted PiS politicians apparently sought protection from President Duda, but have now ended up in prison. One of the two went on hunger strike.
Two convicted MPs from the national conservative PiS were taken to prison after their arrest in Poland’s presidential palace. Former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and his State Secretary Maciej Wasik were legally sentenced to two years in prison in December for abuse of office. But instead of serving their prison sentences, they appeared at a reception hosted by President Duda, who also comes from the PiS. After several hours in the palace, the police were able to take the two politicians away.
Several PiS supporters, including party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, gathered in front of the prison in the Grochow district of Warsaw that night. He described the arrested Kaminski and Wasik as “political prisoners” and demanded access to the detention center in vain.
On his first day in prison, Kaminski went on hunger strike. The PiS published a corresponding statement on the platform X (formerly Twitter). Kaminski wrote that he considered his conviction to be political revenge.
Power struggle between the parties
This has further intensified the conflict between the new and the old government camp in Poland. A power struggle is raging between Donald Tusk’s center-left alliance, which has been in power since mid-December, and the national conservative PiS, which was voted out of office.
Prime Minister Tusk accused Duda of obstructing justice by giving the men shelter. Tusk threatened Duda and PiS leader Kaczynski that they would be held responsible for “sabotage of the constitution.” A parliamentary session planned for today was postponed due to the chaotic situation.
Duda insists on pardon
The case has a long history. After the PiS came to power in 2015, President Duda pardoned the two politicians Kaminski and Wasik. In the first instance, you were sentenced to three years in prison for abuse of office. In 2007, as head of the anti-corruption agency, Kaminski deliberately staged a case to discredit the then agriculture minister. Kaminski and Wasik appealed the verdict.
The Supreme Court then overturned the pardon. The reasoning stated that only those who had been legally convicted could be pardoned. Both had to face another trial and were sentenced to two years in prison. In addition, they are not allowed to hold public office for five years and lose their parliamentary mandate. Duda had emphasized in the past few days that in his opinion the pardon would stand – even if Poland’s constitutional lawyers see it differently.