Protesters Rally as Polish President Considers Pardoning Arrested Lawmakers
Poland's President pardons detained lawmakers amid widespread protests, deepening the power struggle between the new centrist government and the ousted PiS party
Polish President Andrzej Duda is working to secure a new pardon for two populist lawmakers accused of corruption. Their arrest inside the Presidential Palace last Thursday sparked mass protests in Warsaw. Mariusz KamiÅski and Maciej WÄ sik, both members of the former populist group Law and Justice (PiS), were taken into custody on Tuesday after appearing to seek shelter inside the palace of PiS-aligned President Andrzej Duda.
Their apprehension marked the most recent development in a contentious power struggle between Poland's recently-established moderate government, headed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and PiS, which suffered a defeat in the October election. KamiÅski previously served as interior minister and WÄ sik as deputy interior minister.
Mariusz KamiÅski and Maciej WÄ sik have been barred from holding office for five years, but have essentially ignored the sentence.
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Polish lawmakers were apprehended within the Presidential Palace, heightening the tension between the new and old ruling parties. On Thursday, tens of thousands of individuals gathered on the streets of Poland's capital to protest against their arrest and the Tusk government.
PiS MP Katarzyna Sójka shared a video showing crowds in Warsaw waving Polish flags. The organizers, PiS, stated that around 100,000 people from all over the country participated in the protest. Official attendance numbers from the police have not been disclosed.
The two lawmakers have sparked controversy after being sentenced to two years in prison and banned from serving as MPs for five years due to corruption charges from their time in PiS original term in office. President Duda, who had pardoned the pair in 2015, was infuriated by the sentencing which was later overruled by the Supreme Court.
Duda stood by his decision to pardon the two lawmakers on Thursday and mentioned that he had submitted a new pardon application to the prosecutor general after meeting with their wives.
The president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, pictured in Krakow in 2023.
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"As the president of the Republic of Poland, I issued an act of grace in accordance with the constitution. It was completely valid and effective. In my view, these gentlemen are still MPs," Duda stated in a post on X Thursday.
After the dramatic events at the presidential palace on Tuesday, Duda expressed his profound shock at the arrest of the individuals despite his presidential pardon.
KamiÅski and Wasik have commenced a hunger strike while in prison, protesting their detention as "political prisoners," as confirmed by Wasik's wife in an interview with TV Republica on Thursday.
Further reporting by Rob Picheta.
