Former Polish PM Refuses To Sign Lustration Document
April 26, 2007 -- Poland's first postcommunist prime minister has refused to sign a legally required document declaring whether or not he collaborated with the communist-era secret police.
Poland's PAP news agency quoted Tadeusz Mazowiecki as saying the requirement is "an attempt to humilate people."
Poland previously demanded that government officials comply with so-called lustration laws. But under a law backed by President Lech Kaczynski that came into effect last month, the requirement extends to academics, journalists, lawyers, and many others. Anyone filing a false declaration risks being barred from their profession for 10 years.
Polish EU lawmaker Bronislaw Geremek has also refused to sign the document.
In Strasbourg today, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering said that "all legal possibilities" are being examined to ensure that Geremek won't be stripped of his mandate and can continue to work as an EU legislator.
(AFP)