Polish judges want lawmakers to probe hate campaign

Poland’s judges are calling on lawmakers to investigate an online hate campaign against some of them that was apparently encouraged by a deputy justice minister who has resigned over the allegations.

The judges also called Wednesday on Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro to resign over the scandal that was revealed this week by the onet.pl news portal. Ziobro is also the prosecutor general, a fact that, they say, precludes his objectivity in the matter.

Onet.pl reported that Deputy Justice Minister Lukasz Piebiak encouraged an online user to seek to discredit some judges who had been critical of the right-wing government.

Piebiak resigned Tuesday but said he would sue the portal for libel.

The revelations are embarrassing for the ruling party, Law and Justice, which has pushed changes to Poland’s judiciary.