A Polish court has upheld a conviction against Emilia Szmydt, known as Mała Emi, for hate speech against Waldemar Żurek, the current Minister of Justice.
Conviction Upheld
The District Court in Bochnia initially sentenced Szmydt to a 6,000 PLN fine in March. The Tarnów Regional Court has now upheld this verdict, confirming Szmydt’s guilt in a hate speech case against Żurek, who was a judge at the time.
Court Ruling and Implications
Justyna Borucka, Żurek’s representative, stated that the court acknowledged Szmydt as “a small element in the entire chain of hate speech against judges.” The court found no doubt that the hate speech affair existed and that Szmydt participated in it.
The affair is part of a larger investigation into hate speech within the Ministry of Justice. The prosecutor’s office has filed motions to lift the immunity of several judges allegedly involved.
Reactions and Related Cases
Waldemar Żurek has forgiven Szmydt, who had previously apologized. Meanwhile, Łukasz Piebiak, a former undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Justice, claims that the hate speech affair was only a media narrative and that judges have always communicated informally.
