• Tweeter

  • republish

A bill tabled by Polish conservatives will punish judges who question the controversial reforms carried out by the authorities. (photo illustration) WOJTEK RADWANSKI / AFP

Polish conservatives have tabled a bill on Thursday, December 12 to punish judges who question the controversial reforms carried out by the power.

The bill is described by the opposition as "an attempt to gag " critical magistrates. Filed Thursday night, it provides for sanctions that may go as far as exclusion for judges who question the legality of the appointment of another judge, as well as for " activities of a political nature " or that may " harm the functioning of the justice system ".

Revoke the judges

The power presents this project as intended to avoid chaos in the Polish judicial system. The bill comes after the judgment of the Polish Supreme Court in early December that the new Judicial Council (KRS), created by the power, the body that appoints judges, did not offer guarantees of independence. political power, thus challenging part of the Conservatives' controversial reforms.

This Supreme Court judgment followed a decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which held that it was for this Court to rule on this issue.

The text presented by the Conservatives " even provides for the possibility of dismissing judges who might consider challenging the National Council of the Judiciary or the prerogatives of the president, or challenge other judges, " said a lawmaker and Justice (PiS, in power) Jan Kanthak.

Opposition, standing up against this project

The bill also prohibits magistrates ' councils from " adopting hostile resolutions against other Polish authorities and its constitutional bodies, as well as criticizing the basic principles of the system of the Republic of Poland ".

The opposition rebelled against the bill. According to Boris Budka, MP for the Civic Platform (OP, opposition) " The scandalous project of a law gagging judges is a new step towards the exit of Poland from the European Union. These are standards of authoritarian countries, an attempt by the PiS to subordinate the courts, "he wrote in a tweet.

The vast reform of the Polish judicial system is perceived by Brussels as an attempt to bring judges to a standstill by the PiS nationalist conservatives .

( with AFP )