The Polish Sejm voted to revoke the parliamentary immunity of former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro on Friday, following a private indictment filed by TVP journalist Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf regarding his past comments.
The Parliamentary Vote
A total of 429 deputies participated in Friday’s session. The motion to strip Zbigniew Ziobro of his immunity required an absolute majority of 238 votes, a threshold that was met exactly. While 238 deputies supported the motion, 191 voted against it, and there were no abstentions.
Origins of the Private Indictment
The legal proceedings stem from remarks made by Ziobro last year during a hearing of the parliamentary investigative committee on the Pegasus spyware scandal. The private indictment was initiated by TVP journalist Dorota Wysocka-Schnepf.
Committee Recommendation
The Sejm Committee on Regulations, Deputies’ Affairs, and Immunity had already recommended the lifting of the former minister’s immunity on May 13.
Allegations Against the Former Minister
During the committee hearing, attorney Wojciech Łuczewski, representing Wysocka-Schnepf, argued that Ziobro exceeded his mandate by making personal judgments instead of addressing factual questions. The former minister claimed that media outlets associated with the journalist were “worse than they were before.”
Ziobro also made references to the journalist’s family name, alleging it was linked to a figure who sentenced a person close to him to life imprisonment. He further commented on a supposed “tradition” within her family and stated that she represents “different worlds.”