Minister: "Traitor"

Polish judge applies for asylum in Belarus

A Polish judge has applied for political asylum in Belarus. "This is an act of protest against Polish policy towards Belarus and Russia," said the judge Tomasz Szmydt at a press conference in Minsk on Monday, according to the Belarusian state news agency Belta. Szmydt is close to the former ruling Law and Justice party (PiS).

After the Polish parliamentary elections in October, PiS was replaced by the pro-European coalition led by the current head of government Donald Tusk. "I am frankly shocked," said Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. "We have had a traitor in a similar case before," he added. He was referring to the Polish soldier Emil Czeczko, who deserted in 2021 and applied for asylum in Belarus. According to the Belarusian authorities, he was found dead in March 2022.

This article shows Szmydt at the press conference in Minsk:

Poland wants to scrutinize activities of judge
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz announced an investigation into the case of the fugitive judge and his activities in Poland. The question arises as to whose interests Szmydt had been working in Poland for years, said Kosiniak-Kamysz.

Tense relations between Poland and Belarus
Relations between Warsaw and Minsk have been strained since the suppression of mass protests against the controversial re-election of Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko in 2020 and a refugee crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border at the end of 2021. After the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine, which is supported by Belarus, tensions intensified once again