By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - Hungary has granted asylum to Zbigniew Ziobro, Poland’s former justice minister, who is facing multiple charges in Warsaw, his lawyer said Monday.
Ziobro "has obtained international protection and political asylum in Hungary in connection with violations of rights and freedoms on Polish territory guaranteed by international law," Bartosz Lewandowski wrote on US social media company X.
The lawyer said Hungary granted political asylum to the former Polish Cabinet minister in connection with actions by prosecutors "which resulted in a series of actions bearing the hallmarks of politically motivated political repressions."
The move came after Hungary granted asylum to two Polish citizens last week, drawing criticism from Warsaw.
It also followed Hungary’s earlier decision to grant asylum to Marcin Romanowski, a former deputy justice minister who is wanted by Polish prosecutors on 11 charges ranging from alleged abuse of power to the misappropriation of public funds.
In response, Poland on Friday summoned the Hungarian envoy and expressed its opposition to the asylum decisions.