Poland set to amend controversial Holocaust law, nixing penalties
Poland is considering amending a controversial law that calls for prison terms of up to three years for attributing the crimes of Nazi Germany to the Polish state or nation, Michal Dworczyk, the head of the Polish prime minister’s executive office said Wednesday.
According to the Bloomberg news service, Dworczyk told public radio that an amendment would seek to “move away” from penalizing those who transgress the law, as it may “divert attention from the aim of the law.”
He added that “the law’s purpose was to defend the good name of Poland," The Times of Israel reports.
As currently written, the legislation calls for prison terms of up to three years for attributing the crimes of Nazi Germany to the Polish state or nation. It also sets fines or a maximum three-year prison term for anyone who refers to Nazi German death camps as Polish.
The legislation, introduced by Poland’s conservative ruling party, has sparked a bitter dispute with Israel, which says it inhibits free speech about the Holocaust. The United States also strongly opposes the legislation, warning it harms Poland’s strategic relations with Israel and the US.
In March, the Polish attorney general’s office described the law as partly unconstitutional, saying the it was “dysfunctional,” could have “opposite results than those intended,” and could “undermine the Polish state’s authority."