Poland - January 2024

On 9 January, two opposition MPs, the former interior minister and former deputy interior minister, were arrested and stripped of their parliamentary mandates and immunity. In December, the men had been sentenced to two years’ jail for abuse of power committed in 2007. In response, the two MPs took refuge in the Presidential Palace, which hindered the police. Previously, President Andrzej Duda had pardoned them, but the Supreme Court subsequently invalidated that pardon. The men were eventually arrested and went on a hunger strike, claiming to be political prisoners. The opposition Law and Justice party subsequently organized an anti-government protest, drawing tens of thousands of people. On 23 January, the men were released after President Duda issued a new pardon, but it remains unclear whether they should still be considered MPs, since the Constitution bars people with convictions from serving as MPs.

Source: Washington Times, Notes from Poland (1), Notes from Poland (2), Notes from Poland (3), RTE, Politico (1), BBC, X - Tusk, Politico (2)