Polish Riot Police Deployed Outside Constitutional Tribunal Following Suspension of Head Judge

Polish riot police were deployed outside the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw on Friday following the suspension of the court's president, Bogdan Święczkowski. The police intervention occurred after demonstrators gathered outside the building to protest the move, with officers entering the premises after incidents that included objects being thrown at police.

Police reported that three individuals were detained after members of the crowd launched dangerous projectiles toward law enforcement officers. The demonstrations erupted after the court announced on Friday that Święczkowski had been suspended. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek announced on Friday that he had requested the removal of immunity for Święczkowski and Vice-President Bartłomiej Sochański in order to bring criminal charges against them for failing to fulfill their duties.

According to the government, the suspended officials blocked judges elected by the current parliamentary majority from assuming their court duties over the past six months. Święczkowski was originally appointed by the former nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party government. Prime Minister Donald Tusk defended the actions on social media, stating that restoring the rule of law requires decisive measures following years of lawlessness under the previous administration.

In response to the developments, the Constitutional Tribunal issued a statement on social media maintaining that the two targeted judges remained the legally appointed senior justices of the court and characterizing the government's actions as a coup d'état. Meanwhile, PiS-allied President Karol Nawrocki interrupted a trip to Senegal for a sporting event, ordering his plane to turn back to Warsaw and stating that the president must be in Poland during such a moment.

The Constitutional Tribunal has been the center of prolonged political contention regarding the judiciary's independence. The PiS party, which led Poland from 2015 to 2023, appointed judges to secure a majority on the court. Leading European courts subsequently ruled that the PiS majority had improperly elected judges, leading to findings that the tribunal was no longer an independent and impartial body.