Poland acquits border soldier and names new Supreme Court chief justice

A military court in Lublin acquitted private Karol S., a 25‑year‑old soldier of the 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade, of abusing his authority after he fired twelve shots toward a group of migrants attempting to cross the Polish‑Belarusian border on 24 March 2024. The judge said the soldier was defending the border and found no evidence of a crime.

President Karol Nawrocki appointed Zbigniew Kapiński as the new chief justice of Poland’s Supreme Court. Kapiński, head of the court’s criminal chamber, was selected from five candidates after a contentious voting process that highlighted divisions between “neo‑judges” appointed under the former PiS government and older judges who boycotted the vote. The appointment has drawn criticism from both government allies and opposition figures, underscoring ongoing tensions over the rule of law in Poland.