Poland: Judges enter into resistance against judicial reform

REUTERS

Angry crowd in front of the courthouse [19659006] These are scenes that the ruling PiS would certainly not have liked. Because, according to national conservatives, Gersdorf should no longer appear at work today. The judicial reform decided by the PiS and criticized by the EU provides that the judges of the Supreme Court will retire at the age of 65 years. 27 of the 72 judges of the Supreme Court, including Gersdorf, are involved. President Andrzej Duda had personally told him yesterday in his office. As a reaffirmation, the Presidential Chancellery distributed a photo of the meeting via social networks

However, Gersdorf does not accept the decision, relying on the Polish constitution. This means that the mandate of the president of the Supreme Court takes six years, in their case until 2020. "I hope that the 2007 solemnly signed before the Constitutional Court the declaration of allegiance to the State of democratic law and its traditions in practice confirming their decision, "said Gersdorf shortly before entering the building of the judiciary.

Spicy: Among the signatories of the Declaration to which the lawyer appoints the then President Lech Kaczynski and his twin brother Yaroslav who was then Prime Minister.

Today, Jaroslaw Kaczynski is only a simple deputy, but as chairman of the PiS, nothing happens in Poland without him. Since the accession of the national conservatives, the country has been rebuilt according to his ideas. Journalists and officials loyal to PiS functioned as a propaganda organ of national conservatives

The constitutional court was in turn filled with loyal supporters such as the president of the Constitutional Court Julia Przylebska, wife of the ambassador from Poland to Berlin. In 2001, his colleagues had even accepted the necessary qualifications for a judge's post, even in a Poznan district court

Now, with the reorganization of the Supreme Court, the last stage of judicial reform with which the PiS exercises its jurisdiction under his control. wants.

A lattice of dresses

But there is resistance, not only from opposition parties and protesters, who have been protesting PiS actions in many cities against the Supreme Court for days – even if these protests do not happen. are not as tight as last summer. But also from the guild of judges itself. Symbolic for this is a scene this morning. When Gersdorf has to leave the Supreme Court building after a few minutes, she is accompanied by judges, who form a trellis with their dress in their hands.

The Warsaw PiS was also less pleased with a press conference, the Gersdorf and the Gersdorf. his colleague Andrzej Iwulski later in the day gave. "The President continues to be the President of the Supreme Court, and I am only her deputy who fulfills her duties if she is absent because of illness or for other reasons," said Iwulski. President Duda, despite his 66 years.

Not only the judges of the Supreme Court, but the entire judiciary, fight against the decapitation of the Polish justice system. As Minister of Justice, Zbigniew Ziobro, who is also the attorney general in personal union, from January, he dismissed unpleasant court presidents and their deputies often by fax, many of these vacancies remained vacant. As in Upper Silesia of Katowice, where no judge wants to be the deputy of a court president appointed by Ziobro.

Whoever does not come online is marginalized

In other cities, even important positions in the courts are not occupied. The judges showed their reluctance in the new appointment of the Land Justice Council, which must decide the judges. "About 10,000 judges nationwide, ran only 18th C & # 39; s just a tip of the entire judicial system," says Bartlomiej Przymusinski, judge and spokesperson of the Judges Association of & # 39; 39; Iustitia

The price is high. "Judges who do not speak anti-government protesters like the government think that they are threatened with disciplinary proceedings, judges are defamed in the state media, and there is a hate campaign funded by the public fund, "says Przymusinski. do not minimize, shows this Wednesday. The term "caste", with which media judges favor media abuse, is now ubiquitous.