The Polish right-wing government is still finding new instruments to attack democracy and the rule of law. However, the government has now set a truly surprising precedent. Warsaw has used its EU power to deport critics of the government and forbid them from entering any country within the European free-movement zone. The implications are dangerous – and not only for Poland, believes the Washington Post journalist.
Lyudmyla Kozlovska is a young Ukrainian defender of human rights, and an ardent promoter of democracy in Poland. Since she left her home country ten years ago, she has put a lot of effort into promoting the model of Polish democracy in developing countries through the Open Dialogue Foundation (her think-tank based in Warsaw). She worked hand-in-hand with Polish politicians and officials, we read in the journal.
According to the newspaper, this week the Polish government deported Kozlovska. The authorities did not provide any explanation, but the likely reason is clear enough. She and her husband, Head of the Foundation Board, Bartosz Kramek, criticized the government for its attempt to undermine democracy in Poland. “It’s evil irony I ended up in the same situation that I helped many people to avoid,” Kozlovska said.
Now she is in Ukraine and completely cut off from life on the other side of the border, where is her family and husband. However, as the Washington Post writes, Kozlovska’s case is much more serious, because it could potentially be implemented against every foreigner living in the EU. The history of Kozlovska suggests that the entire justice system of the European Union is now under threat – as we see on the website of the edition.
Source: washingtonpost.com
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See also:
- Poland uses SIS to prevent President of the Open Dialogue Foundation from entering the Schengen area
- Information on the inclusion of Lyudmyla Kozlovska in the SIS database by Poland
Other media coverage of the deportation of Lyudmyla Kozlovska:
- ‘The Polish Government takes revenge on my wife for my civic activism’ – says Bartosz Kramek about the ODF President’s deportation
- Kramek in the @Tłit_WP studio: My wife was not surprised by the deportation
- KyivPost: Jaroslaw Kaczynski has been branded as Ukraine’s Foe of the Week. For his ‘outrageous attack’ on the ODF President
- Onet: Ukraine outraged by the deportation of Lyudmyla Kozlovska from Poland and the EU
- Newsweek: European politicians stand up for Kozlovska who has been removed from the EU
