the president says he is “upset” by the arrest of a former minister in the presidential palace

Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Wednesday January 10 “deeply upset” by the arrest the day before of a populist ex-minister in the presidential palace while calling on his compatriots for calm. The country, led for almost a month by the pro-European coalition which had ousted the nationalist populists from power, is in the grip of a political crisis. Both camps accuse each other of violations of the rule of law.

The arrests of former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and his close collaborator Maciej Wasik, two figures from the Law and Justice (PiS) party, took place late Tuesday. In December, a Polish court sentenced the two men on appeal to two years in prison for having exceeded their duties in a case dating back to 2007. Elected deputies during the October elections, the two men saw their parliamentary mandates canceled , which they refuse to recognize. Mariusz Kaminski, who believes he is “a political prisoner”announced a hunger strike.

The arrest provoked strong protests from the current opposition. PiS has called its supporters to a demonstration against the decisions of the new administration planned for Thursday in front of the parliament in Warsaw. In a press statement, President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday he was convinced of their innocence and the illegal nature of the arrest.