Poland has introduced a controversial new law that makes it easier for soldiers and other uniformed officers serving at the border to use firearms without facing criminal liability.
On Wednesday, President Andrzej Duda signed the legislation into law, which received strong support from parliament, as reported by Notes from Poland.
The law was proposed in response to increasing aggression from migrants attempting to cross the border from Belarus, including an incident that led to the death of a Polish soldier.
The law allows border officers to use their weapons in specific situations without fear of prosecution. These situations include repelling direct attacks that threaten the life, health, or freedom of officers, or during an assault on the state border. Officers can also use firearms if a person refuses to surrender weapons or other dangerous items, or if they attempt to seize an officer's weapon.
Speaking on Poland’s Armed Forces Day, President Duda expressed his support for the law, stating, "This is fundamentally important. I believe it will make the difficult work of our soldiers easier."
However, the law has faced criticism from various human rights organizations and officials.
The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, warned that the new rules could lead to the disproportionate use of force and inadequate investigations into the use of firearms. Several NGOs in Poland, including the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, have also voiced strong opposition, arguing that the law effectively gives officers a "license to kill."
The new law also introduces state-funded legal aid for officers who are put on trial for using firearms at the border and formally recognizes military operations conducted on Polish territory during peacetime.
The law is set to take effect 14 days after it is published in the Journal of Laws of the Republic of Poland.
As of Friday morning, the law had not yet been published.
