Polish ex-minister on hunger strike as populists denounce ‘political’ arrests
- Jailed former minister calls himself a political prisoner as he begins hunger strike
- Polish President Andrzej Duda says he ‘will not rest’ until ministers are freed
Polish President Andrzej Duda said he was shocked over the arrest of a former interior minister and his aide in a high-profile case that saw one of the detained men launch a hunger strike.
The country has been in political turmoil since a pro-EU coalition led by Donald Tusk took power from right-wing populists of the Law and Justice party (PiS) in December following an October election, with both sides trading accusations of alleged rule of law violations.
Late Tuesday, police arrested prominent PiS figures Mariusz Kaminski and Maciej Wasik at the presidential palace, where the pair had sought refuge following an invitation from the conservative president.
Kaminski, who considers himself a “political prisoner”, said Wednesday he would go on a hunger strike to protest his detention.
Both Kaminski and Wasik were elected lawmakers in October’s polls, but were stripped of their mandates last month following a court verdict.