A law that makes it a crime to accuse Poland of crimes that were committed by Nazi Germany has taken effect.
For years Polish officials have struggled to fight phrases like "Polish death camps" that are sometimes used abroad to refer to death camps that were built and operated by Nazi Germany on occupied Polish territory during World War II.
The law, however, has sparked a crisis with Israel, where Holocaust survivors and officials fear its true aim is to repress research on Poles who killed Jews during WWII.
That is something that Polish officials deny. They insist the law, which calls for prison sentences of up to three years, will only punish those who publicly and "against the facts" accuse the Polish nation as a whole for crimes committed by the Germans.
As the law took effect on Thursday, Polish and Israeli representatives were in Jerusalem holding a first working meeting toward resolving a standoff over the legislation.
The law has also created tensions with Ukraine due to a provision that criminalises denying the wartime crimes of Ukrainian nationalists, who killed up to about 100,000 Poles in wartime massacres.
Poland's president signed the law last month but also sent it to the constitutional court for review. Officials have said no criminal charges will be brought until the court has made its ruling, expected in several weeks.
But prosecutors are already looking for cases where Poland is defamed over its wartime activities.
The law has also been criticised by the United States, which fears that it could stifle free expression and academic research.
Share
