The previous inside minister and his deputy had been arrested on the Presidential Palace for abuse of energy.
Poland’s former Inside Minister Mariusz Kaminski says he has began a starvation strike as a “political prisoner”, a day after he was arrested and despatched to jail on abuse of energy expenses.
Kaminski made the announcement on Wednesday, following his arrest alongside together with his deputy, Maciej Wasik, contained in the Presidential Palace in Warsaw.
“I declare that I deal with my conviction … as an act of political revenge,” Kaminski mentioned within the assertion, learn by his former deputy Blazej Pobozy at a information convention in entrance of the prime minister’s workplace.
New Prime Minister Donald Tusk, of the Civic Platform occasion, has pledged to undo the insurance policies of his predecessors – the federal government of the nationalist Regulation and Justice (PiS) occasion – and punish these accused of wrongdoing throughout their time in energy. Kaminski and Wasik are members of PiS.
“As a political prisoner, I began a starvation strike from the primary day of my imprisonment,” Kaminski’s assertion learn.
Deputy Justice Minister Maria Ejchart responded to the strike by saying the 2 former officers should not political prisoners and any prisoner has the best to refuse to eat and drink in the event that they so select.
Police on Tuesday acted on a courtroom order to take Kaminski and Wasik into custody, amid an ongoing dispute between the pinnacle of state and the brand new authorities.
A whole bunch of protesters gathered on Tuesday in entrance of the Presidential Palace in assist of the PiS and in entrance of a police station the place they had been held.
Polish President Andrzej Duda, in the meantime, mentioned on Wednesday he was deeply shaken by the arrests and promised he would work to free them.
Duda is intently aligned with PiS and has made clear that he’ll oppose Tusk’s agenda. Duda’s second and ultimate time period runs till mid-2025.
Nevertheless, Duda known as for calm and mentioned he would act legally and in keeping with the structure.
Tusk, a former European Council president, has mentioned he plans to reposition Poland as a frontrunner of the European Union and can stay a loyal ally of the USA and NATO, after eight years of of far-right nationalist rule.
He has additionally pledged to win full Western support for Ukraine in its struggle towards Russia and mediate previous hurdles with the EU.