Duda vetoes bill aimed to demote communist military leaders

President Andrzej Duda vetoed a law that would demote Communist military officers who served on the military council responsible for imposing the martial law in Poland, as well as gives the opportunity to deprive soldiers who served between 1943-90 of ranks if they “have betrayed the Polish raison d'etat.” “It is obvious that the council and especially its leadership was an armed crime union. But at least some of the officers of lower rank were admitted to the council against their own will. These people would not have the possibility of any appeal. From the point of view of the rule of law, this is unacceptable,” Duda explained his decision. The law was aimed to demote the council leaders, including the late generals Wojciech Jaruzelski and Czesław Kiszczak, but it would also demote many others, including, Poland’s only astronaut Mirosław Hermaszewski, who was drafted onto the council in 1981 without his knowledge or consent and discharged from it after two weeks. Duda’s decision angered many prominent Law and Justice (PiS) politicians, the party who he is an ally of. MP and one of the party leaders Marek Suski said that Duda lost his vote with the veto.