On the fateful night of July 16, 2024, the District Court for Warsaw-Mokotów shockingly rejected a request for MP Marcin Romanowski’s temporary detention. This request, mind you, was made by a prosecutor associated with the current Minister of Justice, Adam Bodnar.
The court’s decision was a blatant violation of MP Marcin Romanowski’s rights. Despite his immunity as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, he was unlawfully detained in his apartment on July 15, 2024. He was subjected to a degrading search, stripped naked, handcuffed, and transported to the place of detention by numerous officers of the Internal Security Agency (ABW).
It’s crucial to note that MP Marcin Romanowski’s detention was not a result of a legal process. On July 12, 2024, he voluntarily appeared at the prosecutor’s office after the Polish parliament waived his national immunity. However, the prosecutor showed no interest at that time. The subsequent detention on July 15, 2024, was a calculated political move orchestrated for media attention, with cameras and film lamps present.
This action has placed the Republic of Poland, under Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s rule, in a concerning position alongside Russia and Belarus. It became one of the three European countries where a public official with binding parliamentary immunity was deprived of freedom, violating human rights.
Since the current government took office in Poland on December 13, 2023, there have been numerous cases of abuse of power, described by J.D. Vance, the current candidate for Vice President of the United States, as “authoritarian tendencies” on social media. This included the imprisonment of members of the Polish parliament and the forcible takeover of public media.
The targeted detention of MP Marcin Romanowski is part of the current government’s tactics to sideline political opponents. This bears a striking resemblance to the communist era, such as the unlawful detainment of Józef Lubieniecki, a judge active in Solidarity, for over eight months during martial law. This historical context underscores the gravity of the situation and the need for immediate action.
Notably, the European Union bodies, previously vocal about the rule of law during the United Right’s rule, have not commented on the unlawful deprivation of MP Marcin Romanowski’s liberty. This silence is deafening and underscores the urgent need for international attention.
