The national conservative PiS is obstructing the session of the Polish parliament. Is a Russian attack on Europe closer than we think? What speaks for it

In Poland, the faction of the national conservative opposition party PiS disrupted the parliamentary session in protest against the imprisonment of two former MPs. The parliamentarians of the old ruling party that was voted out rose from their seats in Warsaw on Tuesday and sang for several minutes: “Free the MPs!” Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia had to interrupt the session.

The background to the action is the case of two legally convicted PiS politicians. Former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and his former State Secretary Maciej Wasik were arrested and taken to prison last week after initially seeking protection from Head of State Andrzej Duda in the presidential palace. The PiS describes the two as “political prisoners”. Kaminski went on a hunger strike on the first day of his detention.

Kaminski and Wasik were sentenced to two years in prison for abuse of office by a district court in Warsaw in December after an appeal. They are also prohibited from holding public office for five years and therefore lose their mandate, which the PiS does not recognize.

Duda granted the two pardons after an initial trial in 2015. However, the Supreme Court declared this pardon unlawful, because the appeal procedure was still ongoing at that time. Duda, who comes from the ranks of the PiS, has already announced that he will pardon Kaminski and Wasik for the second time. (saw/sda/dpa)