Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 25 July 2017

Amid protests, Polish leader puts brakes on judicial shakeup

By VANESSA GERA in the West.
Associated Press Walesa, the Nobel Peace
WARSAW, Poland (AP) Prize laureate and former
— Poland’s president un- president who helped end
expectedly announced communism peacefully
Monday that he will veto in 1989, praised Duda for
two bills that would have what he called “a difficult
sharply curtailed the inde- and a courageous deci-
pendence of the judiciary, sion.”
a victory for peaceful pro- Many Poles fear that a loss
testers who had gathered of basic democratic rights
by candlelight every night will change the county
for more than a week. into a semi-authoritarian
The European Union criti- state, mirroring conditions
cized the bills as assaults in some other places in
on the democratic system Eastern Europe.
of checks and balances “In our hearts and minds
and threatened to begin we are 100 percent Euro-
proceedings soon to strip peans,” said Marcin Trz-
Poland of its voting rights in epla, a 26-year-old who
the 28-member bloc. attended multiple dem-
President Andrzej Duda onstrations in Warsaw over
“made the right decision,” eight days hoping to stop
Guy Verhofstadt, the lead- Head of Poland’s Supreme Court Malgorzata Gersdorf, surrounded by judges, speaks to protesters what he called “a huge
er of a liberal alliance in gathered in front of the court building in Warsaw, Poland, Monday, July 24, 2017. Polish President step to the East.”
the European Parliament, Andrzej Duda announced earlier that he will veto two contentious bills widely seen as assaults on At first Trzepla, who works
tweeted. the independence of the judicial system, but the crowds demand a veto for a third bill. for an advertising agen-
“But the fight for rule of law (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) cy, doubted the protests
in Poland goes on — we the most significant acts of Lech Walesa in the 1980s, lies daily fearing they might would have any effect, but
are with the Polish people!” civic mobilization since the with large numbers of lose a future in a demo- showed up “so that I can
The protests mark one of Solidarity protests led by young Poles attending ral- cratic state fully integrated look in the mirror and say I
did whatever I could.”
He said he was shocked by
Ministers from Europe, Africa meet on migrant crisis Duda’s decision to veto the
bills given the president’s
history of loyalty to the rul-
By B. BEN BOUAZZA people about the risks of Libya, since according to the Mediterranean, ac- ing Law and Justice party.
Associated Press illegal migration and the French Interior Minister Ge- cording to the International But he said he would keep
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Interi- possibility of voluntarily re- rard Collomb, 95 percent of Organization for Migration. on protesting in hopes the
or ministers from 14 nations turning home. the migrants flowing across The meeting’s final decla- president might still block
and the European Union It was the second meeting the sea into Europe comes ration said a global com- a third bill that would give
agreed Monday to boost of the group of European from Libya. mitment to immigration the prosecutor general,
cooperation to tackle the and African countries — “As long as a stable gov- is needed with a shared who is also the justice minis-
migrant crisis along the and it included Libya, a ernment is not in place, the sense of responsibility and ter, the power to name the
deadly central Mediter- smuggling haven for mi- control of this flux cannot solidarity to tackle the crisis. heads of lower courts.
ranean route, promising grants. be assured,” Collomb said. The statement said public The bills were presented
to address why migrants The gathering also came In the first half of 2017, near- development aid is need- and passed by lawmakers
leave home and to beef a day before France hosts ly 84,000 migrants have ar- ed to fight the causes of over a 10-day period with
up actions against human two Libyan rivals, the U.N.- rived in Italy by sea, a 20 migration and create more no public consultation af-
traffickers. backed prime minister and percent increase from the opportunities at home, ter a visit by Donald Trump
In a declaration at the a powerful general, in a same period last year, and as well as to help border to Warsaw, where the U.S.
meeting in the Tunisian bid to stabilize the chaotic more than 2,200 others authorities with training, leader praised Poland as
capital of Tunis, the minis- North African nation. have apparently died try- equipment and infrastruc- a defender of Western
ters also agreed to inform The ministers focused on ing to reach Europe across ture. q civilization.q