Minister Niedzielski was granted discretionary SOP protection. After leaving office in August 2023, he was covered by it until the end of December 2023, said Deputy Minister of Interior and Administration Czesław Mroczek.
On Wednesday, former Health Minister Adam Niedzielski was beaten in Siedlce and hospitalized with injuries. The perpetrators of the attack are in custody of Siedlce police, the Mazovian Voivodeship Police Headquarters announced.
“Around 3 p.m., a man was attacked near a Siedlce restaurant in the city center. He was attacked by two perpetrators,” Junior Asst. Barbara Jastrzębska from the Siedlce police told PAP.
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The former Minister of Health wrote in a statement that “this entire incident is the result of tolerating hate speech, but also of the removal of my protection by the decision of Minister (of Internal Affairs and Administration Marcin) Kierwiński, despite numerous threats against me in public space. I hope that this situation will provoke reflection on all sides of the political scene, that we are already on a slippery slope. Passivity will only condemn us to further escalation,” Adam Niedzielski emphasized in his post.
In turn, former Deputy Minister of Health and PiS MP Janusz Cieszyński wrote on the X portal that: “Marcin Kierwiński took away Adam Niedzielski's protection. He is directly responsible for every blow that fell on the former Minister of Health in connection with his work for Poland.”
Deputy Interior Minister Czesław Mroczek responded to these comments on Thursday on the “Tłit” program. He pointed out that Niedzielski received an extension of his State Protection Service protection until December 2023, even though he left his ministerial position in August 2023.
“Minister Niedzielski was granted discretionary protection. After leaving office in August 2023, he was covered by this protection until the end of December 2023,” Mroczek said.
The Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs explained that Niedzielski's statement referred to the SOP protection, which is granted to the most important persons in the country. The heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior and Administration, among others, are officially covered by this protection. He added that this protection may be granted to other individuals due to important state interests. “This protection ends upon termination of office, but the general decision issued regarding the SOP's operation states that it lasts several dozen days after the termination of office,” Mroczek said.
Minister of Interior and Administration: Niedzielski did not request police protection, although he could have
Adam Niedzielski could have asked the police for protection after leaving office as health minister, but he did not, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said on Thursday. He added that Niedzielski did not report the threats against him to the police.
The Minister of Interior and Administration responded in this way to Niedzielski's accusation that his beating in Siedlce was the result of tolerating hate speech, but also of depriving him of protection by the decision of the Minister of Interior and Administration.
Kierwiński emphasized during the briefing that anyone who feels threatened may apply to the appropriate provincial police commander for protection or protection.
Meanwhile, he noted, after resigning as minister, the former head of the Ministry of Health did not file a complaint regarding this matter with the Warsaw Police Headquarters, which is responsible for his place of residence. “No such request was received,” said the head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration.
Kierwiński added that he had verified that since Niedzielski left office, he had not reported any threats against him to the police.
He added that Niedzielski used SOP security only a dozen or so times between August 8, 2023, and the end of December 2023. “He dismissed security officers or failed to notify them at all,” Kierwiński said. He reported that Niedzielski himself requested the removal of security from his apartment the day after he resigned as Minister of Health.
The head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration said that as the person supervising the police, he will react decisively to any manifestation of banditry on Polish streets.
“I feel very sorry for Minister Niedzielski for what happened to him. However, trying to clumsily make politics out of this issue is, in my opinion, inappropriate,” Kierwiński said.
Police: The perpetrators of the assault on the former health minister have turned themselves in; the case will be investigated by the prosecutor's office
The Siedlce prosecutor's office will investigate the assault of former Health Minister Adam Niedzielski. The perpetrators reported the incident to the police. The men were drunk, Junior Asst. Barbara Jastrzębska of the Siedlce police told PAP on Thursday.
The policewoman said that immediately after receiving information about the incident, officers began identifying the perpetrators and secured, among other things, surveillance footage.
“They also quickly identified the individuals involved in the incident. A person who was in regular contact with them was questioned. The arrest of both men was only a matter of time,” said Junior Asst. Jastrzębska.
On Wednesday, around 10 p.m., the wanted men voluntarily turned themselves in to the Siedlce Municipal Police Headquarters and were arrested. They were two residents of Siedlce, aged 35 and 39. Both were intoxicated, with blood alcohol levels exceeding 2 per cent. Blood samples were also taken to test for drugs.
The detainees were taken into police custody. They will be questioned after they sober up.
– The police officers carried out the activities, interviewed further witnesses, and then the collected evidence was transferred to the District Prosecutor's Office in Siedlce, where a decision will be made regarding the legal classification of the act – said the policewoman.
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