Riot police deployed to Poland's constitutional court after judge suspended
Riot police and protesters faced off outside Poland's constitutional court in Warsaw on Friday night after the court's president, Bogdan Święczkowski, was suspended. The move is the latest escalation in a decade-long dispute over the court's legitimacy.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Poland's constitutional court in Warsaw on Friday evening, where a heavy police presence, including riot police, guarded the building. The tension followed a decision by a group of judges to suspend the court's disputed president, Bogdan Święczkowski, and his deputy, Bartłomiej Sochański. It is the latest development in a dispute over the court's legal status that has lasted more than ten years.
The decision was taken by judges elected by the current parliamentary majority. One of them, Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, said she had taken over as head of the court, citing the longest judicial experience. She is one of five judges whom President Karol Nawrocki refused to swear in.
The president steps in
Nawrocki, who is backed by the opposition Law and Justice party (PiS), turned his plane around on the way to Senegal and returned to Warsaw. Shortly before 1am he arrived at the court, pushed through the police cordon and got into the building. He said the government's appointees were not judges of the constitutional court and called on security forces to leave. Three people were reportedly arrested for trying to force their way in.
PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński called the decision an assault on the court. The opposition and the court's social media account described it as a judicial coup d'état.
The government's position
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who returned to power in 2023, said restoring the rule of law is a duty. Foreign minister Radosław Sikorski said the tribunal was politicised under the previous government. Justice minister Waldemar Żurek said he had asked for Święczkowski and Sochański to lose their immunity so they could face prosecution for obstructing the court's work.
Legal experts are divided on the legality of the suspension. Marcin Matczak, a law expert and critic of PiS, said the legal basis for it was non-existent. US ambassador to Poland Tom Rose warned that the confrontation could escalate.
The standoff may further polarise the country ahead of next year's parliamentary election.
