Poland deploys police after Tribunal chief’s suspension

Police were deployed outside Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw on Friday after Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska announced the suspension of Tribunal President Bogdan Święczkowski and deputy Bartłomiej Sochański. The move prompted protests and a dispute over who has authority to lead the court. President Karol Nawrocki said he was returning to Poland from a trip to Senegal. The Tribunal’s official account rejected the suspension, saying Święczkowski remained its legally appointed president and accusing those involved of a coup. It also disputed Korwin-Piotrowska’s authority to act. Korwin-Piotrowska said the suspension was needed to restore the rule of law. The legal validity of the decision and her authority remain contested. Warsaw Police said officers were stationed outside the Tribunal, not inside it, and that their deployment followed security concerns involving judges and employees and the possibility of public disorder. Police said three people were detained after allegedly entering the Tribunal grounds. Officers also reported that objects were thrown at them. The police account described their actions as focused on public safety and order, not interference in the...