Supreme Court annuls president slander case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday officially closed slander proceedings against a popular author who called the Polish president an "imbecile."

The court simultaneously dismissed the prosecution's motion for a retrial as groundless.

The author, Jakub Żulczyk, called President Andrzej Duda an "imbecile" in a Facebook post in response to Duda's reluctance to acknowledge Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 US presidential election.

After the vote confirmed Biden's victory, Duda wrote on Twitter that he "congratulated Biden on his successful election campaign," instead of congratulating him on winning the presidency.

In response, Żulczyk wrote: "Joe Biden is the 46th US president and Andrzej Duda is an imbecile."

Explaining its ruling, the Supreme Court said courts usually recognised expressions like "imbecile" as insulting, but noted that its use was not criminal and its "social harm" was minimal.