The District Court in Warsaw has once again extended the detention of Father Olszewski by another three months, amidst rising concerns over the legality and integrity of the process. Father Olszewski’s legal representative, Michał Skwarzyński, highlighted during a broadcast on Republic TV that the prosecutor admitted in court that no new evidence has emerged in the case. “This is a scandal. It shows that we live in a state where the rule of law does not function. In a country where human rights and citizen’s rights are being violated,” Skwarzyński stated.
Marek Ast, a legal advisor and member of the Law and Justice Party, echoed these concerns in a discussion with Niezalezna.pl, a local news outlet. Ast criticized the court’s decision as reminiscent of practices seen in Belarus, suggesting a politically motivated trial conducted outside the norms of law and international standards.
During the initial hearings, the court justified the priest’s detention until August 31, considering the accusations against him as part of an organized criminal group. However, with no new developments, the extension has sparked significant controversy and accusations of a miscarriage of justice. “The prosecutor himself said it today; there is no new material. Yet, despite this, the court has extended the detention. This is absolutely unacceptable in a rule-of-law state. We are dealing with a politically ordered case,” Skwarzyński further added.
Ast also pointed to the lack of consistent legal standards in handling the priest’s case, suggesting that the court is acting under political orders from the prosecution. He expressed concerns that European institutions, including the OSCE and potentially the European Court of Human Rights, should intervene.
The broader implications involve potential misconduct within the Ministry of Justice, with decisions reportedly made based on written contracts and commitments. “This form of repression, a premature punishment, as how else can we call these circumstances, where a priest has been detained for months?” Ast lamented, drawing parallels with situations typically associated with more authoritarian regimes like Belarus.