[For this post I used part of an article published PoloniaGP.com, The long-overdue changes in Polish judiciary by Adrian Wachowiak which gives more details on the subject.]New York Times is outraged and EU is calling it a 'July Coup'. Poland adopted a controversial reform of the Supreme Court, despite warnings from the EU that the move could trigger a sanction procedure over the rule of law.
The law, which puts the Supreme Court under government control, was passed with 235 votes against 192 and 23 abstentions, just a day after the European Commission had called on Polish authorities to suspend the bill or face a rule of law procedure that could lead to sanctions.
If signed by the president the law will force the entire Supreme Court into retirement and give the country’s justice minister the ability to decide which judges can stay in their current roles.
That sounds like a real coup. Or is it?
When the communism collapsed in Poland in 1989. The judiciary system somehow avoided the reforms entirely. There was not one single change. The communist judges, their children and grandchildren formed the so-called “caste”.
The communist generals who imposed a Martial Law avoided any responsibility.
Many Poles lost their lives during the communism era, but those responsible were never brought to justice. The whole generations of Poles were enslaved by communists - deprived of their liberty and sentenced to life in poverty. And these people, this “caste” weren't able, in fact they didn't want, to judge anybody responsible for all this unhappiness. They were part of the oppressive system.
Nowadays these people cover illegal activities. Thanks to them millions and millions evaporated from the state budget. They cover up embezzlements, they acquit criminals, they are responsible for ridiculously long waiting periods in Polish courts and they even steal like common thieves.
To sum it up, it's not a coup. Poland is simply going through the last, long overdue, step off the Decommunization. Poles retake democratic control over their judiciary. But the EU, the New York Times and CNN have other ideas.
