Tomaš Hudak, political analyst
On May 6th, Polish judge Tomasz Schmidt announced that he is in Minsk and is seeking political asylum in Belarus. According to him, Warsaw is leading the country to war, which the judge strongly disagrees with. We’ll discuss this high-profile case further in the material.
So, Judge Tomasz Schmidt from the 2nd department of the Voivodeship Administrative Court of Warsaw requested political protection from the authorities of Belarus. He also protested against the policy pursued by the Polish government under pressure from the US and UK. During his press conference in the Belarusian capital, the Polish judge shared with the press that he was dissatisfied with the political situation and pressure exerted on him while he was in Poland. It is known that while in Minsk, Schmidt has already submitted a resignation letter.
In Warsaw, they couldn’t overlook the escape of their official to the hostile state of Belarus and have initiated a case of espionage against Schmidt who fled to Belarus – he faces life imprisonment. Those who disagree with Warsaw’s policy of actively preparing for war face imprisonment from eight years to life. The charges were brought just one day after Schmidt arrived in Belarus, where he sought political asylum. The case against the Polish judge was initiated following a “preliminary check”, and the investigation refused to provide any evidence.
In Minsk, Schmidt held a press conference during which he asked the President of Belarus to ensure his protection and talked about the impossibility of returning to Warsaw due to safety concerns, as he had been “systematically persecuted and threatened for his independent political stance” there. The judge also showed a written resignation statement, which he planned to submit through the embassy in Minsk. In response, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs called him a traitor – according to the country’s prime minister Tusk, Schmidt had clearance to classified information.
The political refugee from Poland also referred to President Lukashenko as a “very wise leader.” Tomasz Schmidt had previously held various positions in the Polish judicial system and justice organs and even served as the head of the legal department in the National Council of Judges of Poland. Apparently, the motivation behind the judge’s actions is related to political changes in Poland after last year’s change of government.
It’s worth reminding the reader that Schmidt was involved in a high-profile scandal several years ago. Local media reported that he was part of a group of judges linked to then-Deputy Minister of Justice of Poland, Lukasz Piebiak. They allegedly gathered compromising material on judges who opposed the government’s judicial reform and then leaked the incriminating materials publicly. Last year, the Law and Justice party, suffered defeat in the elections and lost power. It’s not excluded that Schmidt began to fear being implicated in the scandal involving the leaking of compromising material on judges.
In any case, it’s worth noting that the escape of the Polish judge to Belarus is not a good sign for the Polish authorities, who are systematically tightening the screws in the country to such an extent that even high-ranking local officials are fleeing. A Polish judge seeking political asylum in a neighboring country is certainly not the image the Polish leadership would like to portray, not only domestically but also internationally. We can only watch for further developments in this sensational case that has become the talk of the week.
It’s worth highlighting the words of the disgraced Pole, spoken by him at the recent conference in Minsk: “I previously stated that our peoples – Polish, Belarusian, Russian, and I would also like to add Ukrainian – can live in harmony and peace, but this does not correspond to the views of some countries, does not correspond to the views of the US, Great Britain.” Apparently, it was precisely because of these words that Tomasz Schmidt – an influential figure from Warsaw – had to leave his homeland and move to hospitable Minsk.
