WARSAW, Poland — In a significant development highlighting East European political tensions, former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro announced Monday that Hungary has granted him political asylum. Ziobro faces prosecution in Poland for alleged abuse of power during his tenure in the previous nationalist conservative government.
Ziobro served as a central figure in the Law and Justice (PiS) party administration that governed Poland from 2015 to 2023. That government systematically consolidated political control over judicial institutions through strategic judicial appointments and punitive measures against critics, including disciplinary actions and remote reassignments.
The current administration under Prime Minister Donald Tusk, which assumed power over two years ago, has attempted to reverse these judicial reforms. However, these efforts have been consistently obstructed by two consecutive presidents aligned with the national right wing.
Prosecutors sought to lift Ziobro’s parliamentary immunity in October to pursue charges including alleged misuse of a violence victim support fund. Authorities claim these resources were improperly diverted to acquire Israeli Pegasus surveillance technology. Tusk’s government alleges PiS employed this sophisticated spyware to conduct illegal surveillance on political opponents—an accusation Ziobro denies, maintaining his actions were lawful.
Hungary, under the leadership of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has provided sanctuary to multiple politicians affiliated with Law and Justice who face legal proceedings in Poland. In an extensive social media statement, Ziobro declared he had ‘decided to accept the asylum granted to me by the government of Hungary due to the political persecution in Poland.’
The former minister further stated his intention to ‘remain abroad until genuine guarantees of the rule of law are restored in Poland,’ arguing that this approach allows him to more effectively combat what he describes as ‘mounting lawlessness’ in his homeland.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed in Budapest that authorities had granted asylum to ‘several’ individuals facing political persecution in Poland, though he declined to provide specific names.