Bodnar writes to Duda: a sharp letter of threats to judges

Justice Minister Adam Bodnar sent a sharp letter to president Andrzej Duda in consequence to his controversial statements about the judges. The president threatened to expel judges from the state of justice and cited words about the request to hang for treason. Bodnar accuses the head of the state of undermining the fundamental principles of judicial independency and attacking constitutional order.

A handwriting scan was posted by the head of the Ministry of Justice on his profile on the X platform. "Today I sent a letter to the president of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda in consequence to fresh words which, in my opinion, should never fall from his mouth" - wrote Adam Bodnar.

On Wednesday, president Duda in an interview with the Jagiellonian Club, the Open Conservation and the fresh Deal criticized part of the judge's community. He accused them of saying "on 1 side of the political dispute" and appealed for "remembering."

Threats to Judges

The president warned that without the "reset" it would end with "all these people request to be expelled from the judge's state, without the right to rest". He besides quoted the violent words he heard from a man.

"A fresh man said to me very brutally: 'Do you know why there is so much betrayal and brawl in Poland? due to the fact that no 1 has been hanged for treason.” This is terrible, but in these words there is truth" - said Andrzej Duda.

Constitutional allegations of the Minister

Bodnar started his letter by reminding the article of the second Polish constitution announcing that "Rzeczpospolita Polska is simply a democratic legal state, fulfilling the principles of social justice". "A surprise may be that the highest guardian of the Constitution of Poland mocks this basic constitutional rule" - wrote the minister.

The head of MS stressed that "he is amazed that an educated lawyer - a doctor of legal discipline and a postgraduate of a renowned university - undermines the basic principles of judicial independence". He highlighted the case law of the general courts, the ultimate Court, the ultimate Administrative Court and the Constitutional Court.

unprecedented threats

In Bodnar's opinion, presidential words are "an unparalleled threat to judges who would prompt them to quit respect for the Constitution." "Never before has anyone in Poland, endowed with specified a powerful democratic mandate as the President, threatened judges so openly" - the minister stressed.

The minister indicated that the President's words are "continuation of the attack on the justice strategy coordinated by the President's political camp". He recalled the signatures submitted by the president under the laws of 2016-2023, which "step by step dismantled the independency of the judiciary".

Ukrainian Order of Freedom

Bodnar besides recalled that president Duda late received the Order of Freedom - the highest honour from the Ukrainian authorities. "But it should be remembered that erstwhile Ukraine is striving for membership of the European Union, including with the support of the President, in its words you are questioning the quintessentialness of European values - the regulation of law and the independency of the judiciary" - wrote the MS chief.

On Thursday, the president's message was commented by deputy chief of MS Dariusz Mazur. He assessed that the President's words were "far from the thought he had about the way he held the presidential office." "It is simply a violent language undoubtedly and it is simply a language that can encourage negative reactions of a certain part of the public" - he told journalists Mazur.

(PAP) Note: This article was edited with Artificial Intelligence.