Summary of the day
Polish president Andrzej Duda said he would not rest until Law and Justice politicians Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik were freed from prison.
The two were convicted of abuse of power for actions taken in 2007, and a court on Monday issued orders for police to deliver them to prison, deepening tensions between the president and the new government of Donald Tusk.
Kamiński said he was a “political prisoner” and was starting a hunger strike.
Poland’s deputy justice minister, Maria Ejchart, said Kamiński and Wąsik were not political prisoners.
At least two people died as a migration boat appears to have neared the Greek island of Lesbos amid high winds.
The German GDL train drivers’ union began striking early this morning, causing significant disruption to rail traffic across the country.
Politicians from Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, including a personal aide to its leader, Alice Weidel, met the head of the rightwing extremist Identitarian movement and neo-Nazi activists to discuss a “masterplan” for mass deportations in the event of the party coming to power, it has been reported.
Abdullah Güler, the parliamentary group chair of Turkey’s ruling AK party, said on Wednesday that the Turkish parliament could put the Swedish Nato bid on its agenda in “the coming weeks”.
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Turkish parliament may debate Swedish Nato membership in coming weeks, official says
Abdullah Güler, the parliamentary group chair of Turkey’s ruling AK party, said on Wednesday that the Turkish parliament could put the Swedish Nato bid on its agenda in “the coming weeks”, Reuters reported.
All Nato allies except Turkey and Hungary have already completed the ratification process for Sweden, and repeatedly delays in Ankara and Budapest have fuelled frustration within the alliance. However, officials say there have been signals that ratification is nearing.
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Politicians from Germany’s AfD met extremist group to discuss deportation ‘masterplan’
Politicians from Germany’s far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, including a personal aide to its leader, Alice Weidel, met the head of the rightwing extremist Identitarian Movement and neo-Nazi activists to discuss a “masterplan” for mass deportations in the event of the party coming to power, it has been reported.
The meeting, which was first reported on Wednesday by the investigative outlet Correctiv, took place last November at a countryside hotel on the outskirts of Potsdam. It is likely to feed a fraught debate over whether the AfD should be banned due to growing concerns that it poses a fundamental threat to German democracy.
Buoyed up by discontent over immigration, the AfD is polling in first place in all five of Germany’s eastern states, three of which are holding elections this year. While the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the liberal, pro-business Free Democratic party (FDP) have, for now, ruled out entering coalitions with the party, its presence at the meeting suggests a far-right organisation with its eye on political gains in the near future.
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Adam Bodnar, Poland’s justice minister, has outlined the legalities around the Mariusz Kamiński case on social media.
Izba Pracy i Ubezpieczeń Społecznych Sądu Najwyższego potwierdziła wygaszenie mandatu poselskiego Mariusza Kamińskiego. Izba Pracy uznała też, że Izba Kontroli Nadzwyczajnej i Spraw Publicznych nie jest sądem w rozumieniu prawa. Oznacza to, że jej wypowiedzi nie są aktami…
— Adam Bodnar (@Adbodnar) January 10, 2024
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Duda says he will work to free conservative politicians
Polish president Andrzej Duda said today that he would not rest until the politicians Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik are freed from prison.
The two were convicted of abuse of power for actions taken in 2007, and a court on Monday issued orders for police to deliver them to prison, deepening tensions between the president and government as the two politicians took refuge in the president’s palace before being arrested.
The president said:
I will not rest in the fight for a fair and just Polish state. I will not rest until Mariusz Kamiński and his colleagues are free. I won’t be scared. I will act legally, in accordance with the Constitution and the law – as before.
Prezydent @AndrzejDuda w #PałacPrezydencki: Nie spocznę w walce o uczciwe i sprawiedliwe państwo polskie. Nie spocznę póki Mariusz Kamiński i jego współpracownicy nie będą na wolności. Nie przestraszę się. Będę działał w sposób legalny, zgodny z Konstytucją i prawem - jak do tej…
— Kancelaria Prezydenta (@prezydentpl) January 10, 2024
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Here are more photos from protests yesterday in Poland against the arrest of two conservative politicians convicted of abuse of power.
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What’s behind the dispute over the two Polish politicians arrested yesterday?
Polish police yesterday arrested two politicians convicted of abuse of power who had taken refuge in the palace of the president, Andrzej Duda.
The country’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, said the president was obstructing justice by giving the wanted men refuge, the Associated Press reported.
The dispute centres on two members of the conservative Law and Justice party, former interior minister Mariusz Kamiński and his former deputy Maciej Wąsik, who were convicted of abuse of power for actions taken in 2007, and were sentenced in December to two years in prison. They insist that they are innocent.
A court on Monday issued orders for police to deliver them to prison.
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Polish government rejects claim of 'political prisoner'
Poland’s deputy justice minister, Maria Ejchart, said today that the two former Polish ministers sent to prison yesterday were not political prisoners, Reuters reported.
Mariusz Kamiński, a former Polish interior minister from the conservative Law and Justice party who had been convicted of abuse of power and was arrested yesterday, said in a statement that he was a “political prisoner” and was starting a hunger strike.
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Former Polish minister launches hunger strike
Mariusz Kamiński, a former Polish interior minister who was arrested yesterday, said in a statement today that he was a “political prisoner” and was starting a hunger strike.
Kamiński and his former deputy, Maciej Wąsik, both members of the conservative Law and Justice party, were convicted of abuse of power for actions taken in 2007.
Yesterday, their case took a dramatic turn as the two politicians took refuge in the palace of president Andrzej Duda before being arrested.
💬 Doradca Prezydenta RP @pobozy: Pan Minister Mariusz Kamiński sformułował oświadczenie do Ministra Sprawiedliwości, Prokuratora Generalnego Adama Bodnara, które brzmi: „Oświadczam, że skazanie mnie za walkę z korupcją oraz podjęcie bezprawnych działań dotyczących pozbawienia… pic.twitter.com/n9Y8nxcHfW
— Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (@pisorgpl) January 10, 2024
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German rail strike begins
The German GDL train drivers’ union began striking early this morning, causing significant disruption to rail traffic across the country.
Deutsche Bahn said the strike action, which is expected to last until Friday, “will result in massive disruptions to Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance, regional and S-Bahn services during this period.”
It added:
The emergency timetable only ensures very limited train services on DB’s long-distance, regional and S-Bahn services. Please refrain from unnecessary journeys during the GDL strike and postpone your journey to another time.
France’s new prime minister, Gabriel Attal, has thanked Germany’s chancellor for his congratulations, underscoring the importance of Franco-German unity.
Merci pour vos mots cher Olaf.
— Gabriel Attal (@GabrielAttal) January 10, 2024
Une France et une Allemagne toujours plus unies, c'est une Europe toujours plus forte et qui avance. 🇫🇷🇩🇪🇪🇺
Bis Bald! https://t.co/xC221lsExT
Two people found dead near Lesbos
At least two people died as a migrant boat appears to have neared the Greek island of Lesbos amid high winds.
The Greek coastguard said it recovered the bodies of two people and rescued 18 individuals close to the island, Reuters reported.
About 36 individuals were thought to be on board the boat, and passengers said that some had jumped into the water.
The authorities are now searching for people onshore.
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