Krzysztof Brejza, a member of the European Parliament from Poland's ruling Civic Coalition (KO), said he had asked the Polish lower-house's ethics committee to examine remarks made by Kaczyński, the leader of the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party (PiS).
Speaking to reporters in the Polish parliament on Tuesday, Kaczyński was asked why he had not congratulated Péter Magyar on his victory in Sunday’s parliamentary election in Hungary.
He replied that the result showed what he called a wider numbness in European societies to shocking facts. Pressed to explain, he referred to an unverified story that Magyar had allegedly "roasted a puppy."
The allegation came from a recently created Hungarian website that published a series of sensational accusations shortly before the election.
The report claimed to quote a book by Magyar’s ex-wife, former Hungarian justice minister Judit Varga. But no such book appears to exist in online bookstores, and Varga has said she did not write an autobiography.
In his complaint, published on X, Brejza argued that members of parliament are obliged to act in a way that reflects the dignity of their office and to show responsibility for their words.
He said Kaczyński had spread information that was unchecked, sensational and potentially false, adding that public figures have a special duty to base their statements on facts rather than rumor.
Brejza also said that repeating graphic claims about a person's private life without clear proof could violate that person's dignity and lower the standard of public debate.
Ewa Schadler, chairwoman of the ethics committee, said that Brejza, like any citizen, has the right to submit a complaint. She added that the committee had not yet received the document.
The dispute comes just after a major political change in Hungary. In Sunday’s election, Magyar’s Tisza party defeated Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz after its 16 years in power, and won a commanding majority in the 199-seat National Assembly.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, polskieradio24.pl, PAP