Military prosecutors are already conducting ten investigations into the abuse of power by soldiers at the Polish-Belarusian border – writes “Rzeczpospolita”. “No changes at the border. Bodnar prosecutors’ teams are eagerly launching investigations into alleged abuse of power by soldiers at the border,” says Mariusz Błaszczak, PiS MP, about this case on the X platform.
Nine out of 10 cases of abuse of power, including some cases involving the risk of loss of life and health of migrants by soldiers serving at the Polish-Belarusian border, were initiated this year, according to data from the National Prosecutor’s Office. Last year, only one such investigation was launched.
The vast majority of investigations are based on material from the Border Guard, which is responsible for border security. There is only one case (the one Onet revealed at the end of May) against two soldiers, the rest are investigations, so no one has been charged.
All of them relate to crimes under art. 231 § 1 of the Criminal Code (breach of obligations, abuse of power), and part of art. 160 § 1 of the Criminal Code (exposure to danger). Due to the importance of the cases, seven were sent to the military department of the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw, two were processed at the District Prosecutor’s Office in Białystok (one of them was discontinued), one was initiated by a team of prosecutors. investigators at the Prosecutor’s Office in Siedlce. Interestingly, these are data on criminal cases for the period from July 2021 (beginning of migratory pressure on the border between Poland and Belarus) to July 10 this year.
Attacks by aggressive immigrants on Polish soldiers
Polish services are attacked by organized groups armed with slings, knives and spears. One of the soldiers, 19-year-old Mateusz Sitek, was killed in May by a knife from one of the foreigners. This year alone (data up to June), soldiers and border guards used weapons 1,300 times, the vast majority of which were warning shots fired upwards, a year ago – only 320 times.
The situation at the border led to changes in the law, which allowed soldiers to use weapons or direct coercive measures in violation of the rules. The amendment excludes liability for acts committed in exceptional circumstances to repel a direct attack on life, health or freedom – reports the Rz on Friday.
Błaszczak: “No changes at the border”
Mariusz Błaszczak, PiS MP and former head of the Ministry of National Defence, commented on the whole situation on the X platform.
No changes at the border. Bodnar’s teams of prosecutors are eagerly launching investigations into alleged abuses of power by soldiers at the border. Some of them stem from reports by ‘activists’ obstructing the service of the Polish army. In most cases, it concerns ‘abuse’ of migrants. The government has set its priorities wrong and instead of standing behind the Polish uniform, it is turning its back on the border defenders
– wrote on the X platform Mariusz Blaszczak.
It would be good if the Polish authorities would focus on defending the Polish border, and not on chasing soldiers who are repelling attacks by illegal immigrants.
tkwl/PAP/X
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.