Hungarians and Poles support each other

Hungary recently granted political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, who was deputy justice minister in the previous Polish government under the Law and Justice (PiS) party. Romanowski, who currently has a European arrest warrant, has been accused by Polish prosecutors, allegedly aligned with the Tusk government, of having allegedly committed eleven crimes.

Romanowski, according to the indictment, had embezzled public funds. If proven guilty, he certainly deserves punishment. However, there are good reasons to believe that this is a politically motivated witch hunt. These suspicions have their roots in the rule of law approach of the new Polish government of Donald Tusk, which came to power just a year ago.

These drastic media reforms were implemented not only through administrative measures but also through physical intervention, with large men forcibly entering and removing unwanted employees from public television offices. Even more egregious, the Tusk government ordered the arrest of politicians who had been pardoned by the Polish president, detaining them in the Presidential Palace. It is this same government that now intends to prosecute Marcin Romanowski, who has declared that he prefers to defend himself against what he considers unfounded accusations while he is on Hungarian soil.

Andrzej Szejna, deputy foreign minister of Poland’s leftist government, which is far from friendly to Hungary, has accused Hungary of violating EU principles by ignoring mutual respect between member states. While Hungary recognizes the legal validity of the European arrest warrant, it views the case differently than the Polish Foreign Ministry. Many in Hungary believe that Romanowski would not receive fair treatment in Poland, a view reinforced by the unfair actions of the Tusk government. Minister Gergely Gulyas, head of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, stated that the decision to grant asylum is in line with Hungarian and EU laws, however Poland intends to take its case to the European Court of Justice.

Unsurprisingly, the European Commission, headed by Ursula von der Leyen, immediately sided with Comrade Tusk and company. The Brussels Signal newspaper quickly reported that Hungary could face sanctions and legal action if it does not comply with Poland’s extradition request within the 60 days required by the Commission.

While comparisons to World War II politics may be excessive, I can’t help but remember that we were then in a forced alliance with Hitler’s Germany, after the previous forced peace of 1920. We were not on the same side as the Poles due to conflicts of political interest, but we have never forgotten our many centuries of historic friendship. Despite political divisions during the war, Hungary provided refuge to Polish civilians and soldiers fleeing Nazi and Soviet forces after the invasion of Poland in September 1939. The flight to our homeland was greatly facilitated by the new annexation of Transcarpathia in March 1939, which once again gave us a common and shared border with the Poles. In a speech at the time, Hungary’s regent Miklos Horthy declared: “The laws of true friendship bind us to Poland, which, after a century-long hiatus, is once again our next-door neighbor.”

In an interview with Polsat News in Budapest, Romanowski said he sought protection in Hungary under European asylum rules. He believes that the charges against him are politically motivated. He insists on not receiving any preferential treatment, but only demands independent and fair judicial procedures, something he considers currently unattainable in Poland. “I cannot expect a fair trial as long as prosecutors and judges do not respect legal norms,” ​​he said.

The Polish politician is determined to fight to prove his innocence. It is Hungary’s duty to support him, because true friends never abandon each other.

The author is a writer and journalist.