Writer who called Polish president ‘a moron’ should not be punished, court rules – POLITICO

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The Polish Supreme Court on Tuesday backed an earlier ruling that a writer who called President Andrzej Duda a “moron” on social media should not face prosecution.

Insulting the head of state is a crime in Poland.

Dismissing an appeal from the National Prosecutor’s Office as “manifestly unfounded,” the court said the social media post by writer Jakub Żulczyk did not constitute a crime, and caused negligible harm, according to Polish outlet Onet.

Żulczyk said he was relieved at being “finally acquitted.”

“I am very happy that FINALLY we can bring all this to an end,” he wrote on Facebook.

In Poland, insulting the president — of Poland or even of another country — is punishable by up to three years in prison.

In November 2020, after the U.S. presidential election, Żulczyk took to Facebook to complain about the way Duda congratulated then-President-elect Joe Biden on his victory.

Duda had said he was awaiting Biden’s “nomination by the Electoral College,” even though it was already clear that he would win the election, and other heads of state had already congratulated him.

“Joe Biden is the 46th president of the United States. Andrzej Duda is a moron,” Żulczyk wrote.



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