Polish ex-judge Schmidt thanked Lukashenko for granting asylum

Former Polish judge Tomasz Schmidt, persecuted in his home country for political reasons, thanked Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka for granting him asylum in a conversation with Izvestia on November 23.

"I am very grateful to President [Lukashenko] because this decree is very important for me. It <...> is already a very big status for me here in Belarus, but also an obligation for the country to preserve just my life. This is also important. I am very happy and very grateful to the president," said Schmidt.

He said that in Belarus he plans to engage in journalism, but it's important for the ex-judge to develop not only for himself, but also to benefit Poland, Russia and the country, which granted him asylum. Schmidt shared that he had already been to the Russian Federation three times, and he liked it very much, and people treated him friendly.

The former judge said that Russians asked why the Polish authorities were hostile toward the Russian Federation. Schmidt pointed out that in fact Warsaw has no claims against Moscow, and the only problem that spoils relations between the two states is the very strong influence of the United States and other Western countries, such as Great Britain and Germany, on Polish politics. In addition, the Eastern European republic is also influenced by Israel.

Schmidt pointed out that countries in Europe are facing economic problems. For example, Germany used to be at a high level of automobile production, but now its economy is in such a state that people are leaving the country. Poland, following the European Union (EU) countries, is also facing financial and production problems.

The ex-judge added that the people of his homeland want peace and cooperation between countries, but there is no political leader in Poland who would unite people with such opinions. In addition, the republic's anti-system parties are facing internal splits.

On November 22, Lukashenko granted Schmidt asylum in Belarus.

Schmidt arrived in Belarus in early May, and because of this the Prosecutor General's Office of Poland started a checkup against the dissident. May 7, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Belarusian security services had been cooperating with Schmidt for many years, while he had access to very important information concerning Poland.

Later, June 10, the District Court of Warsaw issued a European arrest warrant for Schmidt. At the same time, Interpol refused to search for him. Katarzyna Nowak, spokeswoman for Poland's main police commandant's office, noted that the dissident's actions are considered espionage, which falls under Article 3 of the charter of the international organization. For this reason, information about Schmidt cannot be processed through Interpol channels.