Waldemar Zurek, the current Minister of Justice, reacted to Zbigniew Ziobry’s remote statement following the latter’s interview with a Warsaw newspaper, saying he could physically detain the opposition leader.
Remote statement of Zbigniew Ziobry
On Friday afternoon, PiS called a broadcast from its headquarters on Nowogrodzka Street in Warsaw, while Ziobry was abroad—first Hungary and then Brussels on Thursday. The statement was delivered remotely as it did not appear that Ziobry had returned to Poland.
During the online statement, Ziobry pledged that he would be in the country within a few hours if the random assignment of cases to judges were restored. He also cited the need to reincorporate illegally removed court presidents, reappoint criminal court judges who had been unjustly ousted, and restore legal authority in the prosecution, including a national prosecutor.
Zurek’s response
Waldemar Zurek told the outlet Onet that he could bring Ziobry into the trunk if he chose to. He described Ziobry’s conduct as cowardice, noting the latter’s repeated attempts to portray himself as a sheriff who did not fear confrontation.
Zurek emphasized that Poland has free media and courts, that procedures are respected, and that the country applies the law and its rules. He added that, like services worldwide, he could detain Ziobry if required.
Ziobry’s conditions
Ziobry said he would remain abroad because it constituted “standing up against lawlessness.” He stated that he would return “in a few hours” if the country reestablished random case assignments for judges, reinstated court presidents who had been unilaterally dismissed, and restored legal authority in the prosecution, including a national prosecutor.
