Polish Sejm votes to establish a commission of inquiry into cases of surveillance of opposition politicians

Polish Sejm votes to establish a commission of inquiry into cases of surveillance of opposition politicians

Kyiv  •  UNN

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The Polish Sejm has voted to set up an investigative commission into the surveillance of opposition politicians using Pegasus spyware during the Law and Justice party's rule. The commission will also investigate the government's purchase of this spyware.

The Polish Sejm has voted to establish an investigative commission into cases of surveillance of opposition politicians using Pegasus spyware during the Law and Justice party's tenure in power. This was reported by RMF24, according to UNN.

Details

On January 17, at a morning session, the Sejm supported the establishment of an investigative commission to clarify the legality and validity of operational and intelligence activities using Pegasus by the government, intelligence services and police between November 16, 2023 and November 20, 2023.

The commission was also tasked with finding out who in the government at the time was responsible for Poland's purchase of Pegasus and similar software. 

It is noted that the amendments proposed by Law and Justice, which wanted to extend the period to include the time when the Civic Platform was in power - since 2007 - were rejected. 

The commission was voted for by 432 MPs, with no votes against or abstentions.

Recall

On December 20, 2023, the Polish Sejm formed an 11-member commission to investigate the visa scandal related to the legalization of foreigners' stay between 2019 and 2023. The scandal is related to the use of paid Polish work visas to enter the EU, and officials are suspected of abuse