Lithuania is facing a moral choice – to support Human Rights in Poland the same way it does in Belarus and Russia, or choose the disastrous path of backing Warsaw’s anti-democratic politicians, writes Jūratė Juškaitė from the Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights

Polish President Andrzej Duda is on a  visit to Vilnius, which raises the question whether Lithuania is ready to pass the moral test posed by Poland’s ruling politicians.

We have been watching authoritarian tendencies in Poland for the last several years. For a long time, we kept mum. Lately, we’ve stopped being silent, but we’ve chosen a disastrous path – to support the anti-democratic Polish politicians.

Lithuania was steadfast in defending the people protesting against Alexander Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus. With a similar resolve, we speak out about human rights abuses in Russia.

We understand that undemocratic, authoritarian regimes in our neighbourhood which abuse their own people will never allow us to feel safe either.

 Reada more:  Can Lithuania become regional leader amid Belarus crisis?   

But this simple truth is forgotten when it comes to Poland – we pretend that the dangerous processes limiting human rights and freedom in this neighbouring country are not happening.

A week ago, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda praised Polish President Andrzej Duda as a defender of democratic, human rights and freedoms in the region, choosing to ignore the worsening human rights situation in Poland itself.

Not long ago, Lithuania’s outgoing Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis presented one of the highest state awards to Jarosław Kaczyński, who is considered the architect of the initiatives limiting civic rights and who pushes through ideas that are difficult to fathom.

Democracy and respect for human rights cannot be conditional.

The crimes against democracy in Poland are systematic. They are being done to concentrate power in one party’s hands, to silence opposition groups and to turn the society against other people in that very same society – lawyers, refugees, the LGBTQ community, feminists, and others.

The ruling politicians are enacting a systemic judicial reform which seeks to abolish the independence of the country’s courts. The newest example is the law passed early this year which allows to sanction lawyers who criticise the reforms of Poland’s government.

The European Commission has begun procedures against Poland for undermining the rule of law.

With support from the government, “LGBT-free zones” are being established in the country. Due to abuses against gay groups, Poland is considered one of the worse countries in the European Union for members of the LGBTQ community.

The country’s Constitutional Court, controlled by the ruling party, has made a decision that further limits women’s reproductive rights. The court decided that it is against the constitution to terminate pregnancy even in cases of foetal defects.

Protests in Poland against the decision have continued for several weeks. Meanwhile, we have been quiet.

With our silence, not only do we support non-democratic politicians, but we also turn away from Poland’s civil society that supports democracy, the rule of law, and human rights.

If we continue to turn our backs on them, this will have long-term effects on what the democracy and freedom-loving Polish citizens think about Lithuania.

The country’s new government and the president should decide how Lithuania will be seen in Poland – a puppet of Kaczyński’s politics, or a supporter of Polish people’s freedom and rights.

 Jūratė Juškaitė is the head of communications at the Lithuanian Centre for Human Rights (Lietuvos žmogaus teisių centras). 

 The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of LRT. This article originally appeared in Lithuanian and was translated by LRT English with minor edits for brevity. 

LRT.LT

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