MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On January 15, the lower house of the Polish parliament adopted new regulations that widen powers of the country's security services. According to the legislation, Polish security services would get access to phone conversations of citizens and their online communications if such information was necessary for investigations.
Poland has faced a barrage of criticism over a number of controversial laws. In January, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a decree giving his government power to appoint the heads of public television and radio, triggering widespread opposition from EU leaders and freedom of the press advocates.
In late December 2015, Duda enacted a reform stipulating that 13 out of the country's 15 constitutional tribunal judges must be present at the most important court cases instead of the nine as had previously been the case. Critics believe that the reform will enable the ruling Law and Justice party to influence the tribunal's decisions.
