Polish President Promises to Grant Pardon Again to Former Interior Minister and His Deputy

The President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, has promised to grant a pardon once again to the former head of the Ministry of Interior and his deputy. Duda stated that he has begun to grant pardons to his political allies, former Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński and his deputy Maciej Wąsik, who were sentenced in December to two years of imprisonment for a long-standing crime of abuse of power in 2007.

Duda had previously pardoned the two politicians in 2015, but the Polish Supreme Court invalidated the presidential decree. Kamiński and Wąsik were elected as members of the Sejm from the national-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which has governed for eight consecutive years, but later lost their mandates.

On Wednesday, Kamiński released a statement announcing the commencement of a hunger strike. Polish authorities responded almost immediately, stating that neither Kamiński nor Wąsik are political prisoners.

This week’s detention of Kamiński and Wąsik further confirms the escalation of political conflict in Poland.