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Polish Government U-Turns On Controversial Holocaust Law

Those accusing Poland of Nazi war crimes will no longer face jail time.

The Polish government has performed a dramatic U-turn on a much-criticized new law that saw people who accused the country of being complicit in Nazi war crimes would face jail time. The law—which Poland’s legislators said was needed to “defend the good name of Poland”—was severely criticized by Israel, whose president said it was an attempt to whitewash history. The legislation was enacted this year and anyone found guilty faced as much as three years in prison. However, five months and lots of controversy later, the country’s prime minister has moved to decriminalize the offense, describing it as a “correction.” An amendment to the Holocaust law was backed by the lower house of parliament and will now move to the Polish Senate. If passed, accusing Poland of being complicit in Nazi war crimes will now be civil, rather than criminal, offense.