Polish Police Cordon Justice Academy After Minister Dismisses Rector Sopiński

Tensions outside the Warsaw campus

Police officers cordoned the Academy of Justice (AWS) building in Warsaw on 11 September 2026, barring dismissed Rector-Commandant Michał Sopiński and opposition lawmakers from entering the facility. Sopiński arrived at the site in the evening after Dr. Hab. Sławomir Cudak, appointed by the Ministry of Justice, entered the premises accompanied by police and Prison Service officers. Law and Justice (PiS) parliamentarians, including party leader Jarosław Kaczyński, Sebastian Kaleta, and Maria Kurowska, attempted to conduct a parliamentary intervention but were turned away at the entrance by officers citing administrator orders. Kaleta questioned police on site regarding the operational commander and the deployment of dozens of officers, arguing that blocking public officials constitutes a crime. Sopiński stated that the police blockade prevented scheduled student retake examinations and supplementary elections to the university Senate.

“It is about this Academy, but on the other hand, an even more important reason is probably conducting a dress rehearsal before an attempt to take over the Constitutional Tribunal.”

Legal dispute and presidential pushback

The confrontation follows Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek's decision to dismiss Sopiński and install Cudak, a measure confirmed by the ministry on 10 September 2026. Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the Chancellery of the President of Poland, met with Sopiński on Friday and described the government's intervention as unlawful. Bogucki noted that under Article 439, Section 7 of the Higher Education Act and Article 66a of the Prison Service Act, the university Senate possesses exclusive authority over appointing and removing the rector. He stated that the ministry acted without properly delivering the administrative decision to Sopiński and ignored an interim injunction issued by the Constitutional Tribunal on 27 May 2026. The presidential chancellery noted that the Cabinet had previously attempted to dissolve the academy through legislation in 2025, which President Andrzej Duda vetoed.

“According to universally binding law, the exclusive competence to appoint and dismiss the Rector of the Academy belongs to the Senate of the university.”

Leadership reshuffle and mutual criminal complaints

Inside the institution, Cudak released a public statement asserting that academic, scientific, and administrative operations remained uninterrupted. He carried out immediate leadership changes, removing Vice-Rectors Iwona Lewandowska-Pierzynka and Mariusz Kuryłowicz while naming Jakub Czarkowski as Vice-Rector for Development. Cudak also submitted a formal notice to prosecutors alleging potential criminal offences committed by the two outgoing vice-rectors. Minister Żurek shared the academy's announcement on social media with the comment that the takeover was complete. In response, Sopiński announced his own filing with prosecutors regarding the unlawful obstruction of his rectorial duties.

Political reactions and parliamentary demands

The confrontation drew sharp criticism from opposition politicians and judicial figures. Judge Piotr Schab stated on television that the deployment of police around an academic institution was an unlawful usurpation that contradicted the May 2026 Constitutional Tribunal ruling on Article 432 of the Higher Education Act. PiS parliamentary club leader Mariusz Błaszczak announced that his party would request an urgent joint meeting of the Sejm Justice and Internal Affairs Committees for the following week. Błaszczak demanded that both the Minister of Justice and the Minister of the Interior appear before the committees to explain who authorized police involvement. Meanwhile, Minister Żurek gave the AWS Senate 14 days to submit an electoral timetable to choose a permanent rector to serve until 2028.