Polish foreign minister defends police action at Constitutional Tribunal amid political dispute

By Diyar Guldogan

ATLANTA, US (AA) - Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Friday defended police action at the Constitutional Tribunal, saying it aimed to allow duly elected judges to resume the court's work.

Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the US city of Atlanta, Sikorski said the tribunal had been "politicized under the previous government," and the current leadership dispute had prevented the court from functioning properly.

He said a majority of judges elected by the new parliament during the last two years had been unable to carry out their duties because the outgoing court president had not convened the tribunal's council.

As a result, the court had been unable to issue judgments, interpret laws or even approve its budget for the coming year, said Sikorski.

"So, action had to be taken to enable the tribunal to function again," he said.

The comments came after police entered the premises of Poland's Constitutional Tribunal on Friday, while the court announced that its president, Bogdan Swieczkowski, had been suspended.

Police said officers entered the premises following incidents outside the court, including the throwing of dangerous objects at police.

The developments also prompted President Karol Nawrocki to cut short his trip to Senegal and return to Poland.

"At a moment like this, the President must be in Poland. I am cutting short my flight to Senegal. I am returning," Nawrocki said on US social media company X.

Diyar Güldoğan