Poland is ready to consider the issue of termination of the 1994 agreement with Belarus on legal assistance in criminal matters, said the ombudsman.
Ombudsman Marcin Wączek addressed the Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General Zbigniew Zobre on this issue. As explained, it is about his possible proposal of appropriate measures to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
This is due to the fact that the analytical data of the ombudsman's office show that the level of protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Belarus is steadily deteriorating. Among other things, the authorities of the country abuse the institution of extradition, trying to extradite political opponents.
— The practice of recent years shows that international cooperation with Belarus is burdened with an increasing degree of risk, writes ombudsman Marcin Woncheck. In his opinion, it is necessary to consider the expediency of terminating the bilateral agreement on the part of Poland, at least in the field of legal assistance in criminal cases. As he recalls, according to Article 107 of the Polish-Belarusian agreement concerning its termination, this is possible every 5 years, by giving six months' notice.
Marcin Wączek notes that «the new geopolitical situation related to the war in Ukraine, the immigration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border or in general in the bilateral relations between Poland and Belarus should force axiological changes in the application of law, including the international agreement».
At the same time, as he stresses, «it is primarily a question of the obligation of the Polish authorities to comply with the axiology of our legal system and the standards contained in it for the protection of human and civil rights».