Ahead of the Senate vote on a bill that would further undermine judicial independence by making it easier for the government to replace the president of the Supreme Court, Iverna McGowan, Director of Amnesty International European Institutions Office, said:
“This cynical attempt to speed through a law just so the president of the Supreme Court, Małgorzata Gersdorf, can be ousted before European Commission action can be taken, must be resolutely rejected.
“The passing of this bill – part of a deliberate attempt to undermine the independence of the judiciary by subjecting it to political influence and control – will strip away what are some of the last remaining vestiges of judicial independence.
“Legal proceedings launched by the European Commission into the law which will force Supreme Court judges to retire early, must be allowed to run their course. Poland’s Senators should reject this bill, the President should not sign it and the European Commission immediately request interim measures to prevent the further devastation of Poland’s judiciary.”
