- Published
A political stand-off over Poland's top court, the Constitutional Tribunal, has broken out after the government suspended its two senior justices and moved to bring criminal charges against them.
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government → publish → them
Polish Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said he had requested stripping the court's President Bogdan Święczkowski and Vice-President Bartłomiej Sochański of their immunity from prosecution to bring criminal charges against them.
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he → say → them
Right-wing politicians from the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party gathered outside the court premises in Warsaw to protest against the move.
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politicians → gather → move
Riot police were deployed to prevent any demonstrators from entering the court building.
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police → deploy → building
In a social media post, the Constitutional Tribunal wrote that the two men were still the legally appointed senior justices of the court.
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men → write → court
"All persons participating in these actions are committing the crime of a coup d'etat," it said.
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it → participate → d'etat
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his government was acting to restore the rule of law.
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government → say → law
In a social media post, Tusk wrote: "Restoring the rule of law is our duty.
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Restoring → write → law
After years of Law and Justice's lawlessness, this is a difficult, sometimes painful process that requires decisive action.
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that → require → action
President Karol Nawrocki, who is backed by PiS, ordered his plane be turned back to Warsaw on his way to Senegal to attend the Summer Youth Olympic Games.
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plane → back → Games
The Constitutional Tribunal was the spark that triggered Poland's long-running rule of law dispute after the PiS-led government took office in 2015.
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government → trigger → 2015
The PiS majority in parliament quickly moved to appoint judges to the court to gain a majority there because the court has the power to decide on the legality of legislation.
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court → move → legislation
Leading European courts - the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union - subsequently ruled the PiS majority had elected three of the judges improperly because they were duplicating positions that had been validly filled by the previous parliament.
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that → lead → parliament
The European courts ruled Poland's Constitutional Tribunal was no longer an "independent and impartial tribunal", and Tusk's government has used those rulings as a basis to stop publishing the tribunal's rulings.
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government → rule → rulings
Taking office in 2023, Tusk vowed to depoliticise the judiciary - but he has failed to undo the PiS-era changes, partially because Nawrocki and his PiS-backed predecessor Andrzej Duda used their presidential vetoes to block his attempts.
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Nawrocki → take → attempts
Nawrocki has also refused to swear in five Constitutional Tribunal judges elected by parliament since March on the grounds of alleged flaws in their selection procedure.
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Nawrocki → refuse → procedure
One of those judges, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, has now been placed in temporary charge of the court.
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One → place → court
Earlier this month, the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters, the Venice Commission, said Nawrocki should swear-in the judges to allow them to sit on the court's bench.
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them → say → bench
Żurek said Święczkowski and his vice-president should face criminal charges for not allowing the judges to adjudicate.
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judges → say → charges
Some of Tusk's supporters have accused him of failing to act decisively to reverse the PiS-era reforms.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled next year, and some see his move as an attempt to boost Tusk's popularity among those voters.
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some → accuse → voters
But his actions have been criticised.
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actions → criticise → ?
In September, Tusk put forward a politician, Maciej Berek, a lawyer who served as a minister in his cabinet, as a judge candidate to the court.
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who → put → court
Lawyer Marcin Matczak, a critic of the PiS-era judicial reform who has stated he considers Święczkowski to be the court's worst president, said his suspension had no legal basis "for a million reasons".
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suspension → state → reasons
"Today's action at the Constitutional Tribunal, in my opinion, buries this body and the issue of the rule of law for two decades," Prof Matczak wrote on social media.
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Matczak → bury → media
"Images of armed police and legal interpretations according to which the minister of justice can remove the president of the Constitutional Tribunal by decree will have a powerful, anti-rule of law backlash for years to come," he added.
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he → accord → years
The Aporia
