Polish judge to seek political asylum in Belarus
Tomasz Schmidt, a judge of the Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw, will seek political asylum in Belarus. He explained his decision, in particular, by disagreeing with Warsaw's policy towards Belarus and Russia.
The judge said this during a press conference in Minsk, signing his resignation from the post of judge, Ukrinform reports citing Onet.pl.
"Why did I come to you? As for the situation in my country, this is a protest against Poland's policy towards Belarus and Russia," Schmidt said.
He noted that he is seeking political asylum in Belarus, noting that this is currently an unofficial request.
The Polish judge read his letter of resignation in Polish, adding that he "wants to rest in Belarus".
"I would like to show people in European countries Belarus as I see it, as a foreigner. It is a very friendly country," said the Polish judge.
The real reasons for the Polish judge's visit to Belarus are currently unknown.
Polish media report that several years ago, this judge was involved in a high-profile case of pressure on judges by the former Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro in the government of Mateusz Morawiecki. In 2022, this judge told several Polish opposition media outlets about a circle of judges close to the government who collected dirt on their colleagues who were allegedly disloyal to the government of the day. At the time, he explained his confession by saying that he did not want to be used by the authorities.
Reacting to the current judge's flight to Belarus, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Monday that he was waiting for a report from the Polish special services on the judge's case. He added that it is necessary to check the previous activities of this judge.
This is not the first time Polish citizens have applied for political asylum in Belarus. In December 2021, Polish soldier Emil Czeczko, who served on the border with Belarus, defected to Belarus. According to the Belarusian side, the soldier "disagreed with the policy pursued by Poland in the context of the migration crisis and the practice of inhumane treatment of refugees". The head of Poland's Defence Ministry, Mariusz Blaszczak, later stated that Czeczko had serious problems with the law, had written a letter of resignation from the army and should not have been allowed to cross the border. Three months later, Ciechko was found dead in his rented apartment in Minsk. The official version of his death was suicide.