Polish President Pardons Jailed Opposition Politicians Amid Judicial Chaos

The move comes as new Prime Minister Donald Tusk faces challenges in restoring EU democratic norms and undoing years of rule by the Law and Justice party.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has pardoned two jailed politicians from the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik, who were convicted for abuse of their authority while working at Poland’s Central Anticorruption Bureau in 2007.
The pair, who were sentenced to two years in prison, began hunger strikes after their arrests, claiming to be “political prisoners”.
Duda, who is closely aligned with PiS, had originally pardoned them in 2015, but his decision was overturned by the supreme court on the grounds that it had been granted before a final appeal court ruling.
The pardoning comes amid ongoing judicial chaos in Poland, with contradictory rulings being delivered by different courts, and accusations of subverting the rule of law against PiS.
New Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has promised to restore EU democratic norms and unblock EU funding, is facing challenges in undoing eight years of PiS rule.