A comment made by constitutional law expert Prof. Ryszard Piotrowski regarding the government’s actions against Zbigniew Ziobro did not sit well with part of the judicial community. As a result, the Themis Association of Judges published a special statement condemning the professor’s words.
On Friday, the Sejm voted to lift Zbigniew Ziobro’s parliamentary immunity. The chamber also approved his detention and temporary arrest.
Shortly afterward, the prosecutor’s office issued a decision to file 26 criminal charges against the PiS politician and to have him forcibly brought by the Internal Security Agency (ABW) to the prosecutor’s office.
Interestingly, according to PiS MP Marcin Gosek, had Ziobro appeared in the Sejm that day, he could have been arrested on the spot.
“In my opinion, they wanted to catch Minister Ziobro immediately,” he said on X (formerly Twitter).
But even before the evening vote, a statement by the well-known constitutionalist Prof. Ryszard Piotrowski caused a stir. Speaking to Polsat News about the case of the former Minister of Justice, he remarked:
“What chance does he have for a fair trial? None, because in his case the decision has already been made — it was issued by the Prime Minister. We are dealing with actions within the judiciary that subordinate it to the government, particularly when it comes to the random assignment of cases. We have various examples showing that judges can engage in the wildest excesses.”
Prof. Piotrowski had previously criticized Law and Justice (PiS) on multiple occasions, which made his latest comments all the more striking. They quickly reached Themis, an association of judges known for its opposition to conservative politicians.
Themis, much like Iustitia, often promotes the narrative about “neo-judges.” The association published a post on x.com, attacking Prof. Piotrowski for his remarks.
“We believe that each of us has the right to express opinions on important social issues. However, this does not relieve anyone of the responsibility to be thoughtful in presenting their views and to uphold the basic truthfulness of their statements. Public figures, including academics, bear special responsibility for the theses they put forward in the public sphere. Professor Ryszard Piotrowski did not consider it appropriate to justify his claim that it is impossible to conduct a fair trial in the case against Zbigniew Ziobro,” — reads the statement title ‘Position of the Main Board of the Themis Association of Judges regarding Professor Ryszard Piotrowski’s statement on Polsat News.’
The statement continues:
“In our view, Professor Ryszard Piotrowski has betrayed the doctoral oath he once took and has become a scholar in the service of politicians. We receive this with surprise and regret, remembering how in the past he stood in defense of ethical behavior and the principles of a constitutional state governed by law.”