Prosecutors plan to strip Left MP of immunity
Prosecutors have requested the speaker of the lower of house of parliament to strip an MP of her parliamentary immunity over an incident related to abortion protest.
Investigators want to charge Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, from the Left party, with "maliciously interfering with the public performance of a religious act and offending religious feelings."
The national prosecutor told PAP the matter involves an event that occurred during morning mass on October 25 at St Jakub the Apostle church in Toruń, northern Poland.
"During the course of devotions, Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus MP entered the church with her husband," the prosecutor said. "They went up to the altar, after which, standing in front of the faithful, they presented pro-abortion transparencies with the slogans saying 'Woman! You know how to decide yourself' and 'Women should have the right to decide whether to give birth or not, not the state on the basis of Catholic ideology.'"
The incident was part of nationwide protests against a Constitutional Tribunal ruling that effectively outlawed abortion in most circumstances in Poland.
Investigators added that the same day the MP posted information on social media saying that she and her husband had left a “Sunday message” at St Jakub's church, illustrating the post with pictures of the transparencies.
As a result, the Toruń prosecutor's office received notification of the crime of maliciously interfering with a religious act and offending religious feeling by insulting a religious site.
The Left MP faces up to two years in prison. She told PAP she had not been informed of attempts to strip her of her immunity, and would respond after reading the text.
