Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik were released from prison. Kamiński was in custody in Radom, Wąsik was in the facility in Przytuły Stare. Less than three hours earlier, President Andrzej Duda announced that he had pardoned PiS politicians.
/Mariusz Kamiński – photo: PAP/Piotr Polak; Maciej Wąsik – photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański /PAP
Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik left prison just after 21. Since the afternoon, families, supporters and PiS politicians were waiting for them to leave in Radom and Przytuły Stare.
Since the afternoon, when President Andrzej Duda announced his decision to pardon Law and Justice politicians, families, supporters and activists of PiS were waiting for their departure in Radom and Przytuły Stare.
Before 21 Barbara Kamińska, the wife of the former minister, who spoke to the waiting people almost all the time, walked to the door of the detention center. After receiving information that the court had issued a decision on release from prison, she called the shift commander. After several minutes of waiting, when the crowd of people retreated from the door, the former head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration was released.
After leaving the prison, Mariusz Kamiński said to the crowd gathered in front of the building: “I am ready to continue fighting.” This fight continues. It may be a long road, a difficult road, but we will definitely win, he emphasized.
Mr. Tusk, Mr. Hołownia, we will see each other soon – he said. After a while, Mariusz Kamiński got into the car and drove away from the arrest in Radom.
Maciej Wąsik stayed at the facility in Przytuły Stare. There, the decision to release him soon was made by the former head of the CBA, Ernest Bejda. In his first words after leaving prison, Wąsik said he wanted to “thank you very much.”
I was waiting for all of you under my window, to pray with you, to hear you, to hear a word of hope, a word of consolation. Thank you very much for being here. I wanted to thank my wife, who was as strong as a lioness, said Maciej Wąsik. The politician also thanked, among others, “fellow parliamentarians”. As he added, “I was often cold in my cell when I stood by the open window, and you were warm in the cold, in the snow.”
In Radom and Przytuły Stare, demonstrators shouted slogans: “the red crow will not defeat the eagle”, “punishment will come for Bodnar”.
Crowds of people gathered in front of the Remand Center in Radom and the Prison in Przytuły Stare, where Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik were detained. The demonstrators declared that they would wait there until the PiS politicians were released.
There were about 300 people in Radom – said RMF FM journalist Michał Dobrołowicz. PiS politician and former head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, Mariusz Kamiński, has been staying there for almost two weeks.
This evening is such a breakthrough – said one of the demonstrators in a conversation with our reporter after Mariusz Kamiński was released from the facility. As a participant of the meeting said, “now I expect Mr. Kamiński to recover.”
Over 100 people gathered in front of the gate of the Prison in Przytuły Stare near Ostrołęka, where Maciej Wąsik was imprisoned. Shortly after President Andrzej Duda’s announcement about the pardon, the demonstrators moved to the place near the fence, from where they can see the window of the former deputy minister’s cell. The Polish national anthem was sung.
We demand immediate release, for it to happen now, immediately, said Anita Czerwińska from PiS, who chaired the meeting. The demonstrators declared that they would wait there until Maciej Wąsik left its walls. Those gathered shouted: “Maciej Wąsik, you are free, this is Poland.”
Late on Tuesday afternoon, Andrzej Duda announced his decision in the case of Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik. The president announced the pardon of politicians.
The gentlemen (Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik) are pardoned. I confirm this wholeheartedly. I appeal to the Minister (Justice), the Prosecutor General, to immediately proceed with this matter. We immediately send the documents for processing. I appeal for the immediate implementation of the president’s decision and, therefore, the immediate release of the ministers from prison – said Andrzej Duda during a special statement.
As he emphasized, “I appeal for the immediate implementation of the decision of the President of the Republic of Poland and the immediate release of both ministers from prison, in particular Minister Mariusz Kamiński.” He added that he was appealing for the release of Kamiński and Wąsik “for humanitarian, human and state reasons.”
Pardon of Kamiński and Wąsik. There is a president’s move
Andrzej Duda’s decision was commented on by PO MEP Krzysztof Brejza in an afternoon conversation on RMF FM.
The president “sneered”, played the situation badly for his environment and showed his true face – said Piotr Salak’s guest. According to the Civic Platform politician, “the president should invite Andrzej Lepper’s son and look him straight in the eye and listen to the late Andrzej Lepper’s son, who was destroyed by a special operation organized by these people – for which they were convicted.”
According to Brejza, “the president has shown that he is guided by the principle of cronyism.” Society’s opinion is clear – these people should be in prison for what they did. The judgment is final. The end of the lawless state of PiS – said the PO politician.
Brejza about the pardon of Kamiński and Wąsik: The president “swayed”, that’s the end of the show
“Bandits pardoned”, “the president stands against the law and the state” – this is how politicians from the government coalition assessed President Andrzej Duda’s decision to pardon Mariusz Kamiński and Maciej Wąsik. PiS activists, in turn, emphasized that the “unlawfully imprisoned” Kamiński and Wąsik were released.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk also spoke on this matter. “The President – this time correctly – exercised his right of mercy towards criminals. That’s all,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Kamiński and Wąsik were pardoned. There is the prime minister’s reaction
The former head of the CBA and former Minister of Interior Mariusz Kamiński and his former deputy Maciej Wąsik were sentenced on December 20, 2023, with a final sentence to two years of imprisonment for abuse of power as the then heads of the CBA – in connection with the so-called the land scandal of 2007
The police detained Kamiński and Wąsik two weeks ago – on Tuesday, January 9. Later they were imprisoned. They went on a hunger strike.
