The letter came ahead of a high-profile visit by Trump to Poland for ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.
The former ambassadors appealed to Trump to use his trip to urge the Polish government to respect the country’s constitution.
World leaders including 20 presidents are expected to take part in ceremonies in the Polish capital on Sunday.
Joanna Lichocka, a member of parliament from Poland’s governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, said on Thursday it was a “huge disgrace that those who signed this letter were ever Polish diplomats.”
Lichocka told public broadcaster Polish Radio: “This is also a serious signal that it is necessary to build elites serving the Polish state from somewhat different circles" than thus far during the post-communist period.
The 23 Polish former ambassadors said in their letter: “Mr. President, you are coming to a country where the rule of law is no longer respected.”
They added: “In Poland, the process of flouting and bending our Constitution has been on the rise for several years. The division of powers is being dismantled and the independent judiciary is being destroyed.”
The Law and Justice party, which is bidding for a second term in power in October parliamentary elections, has faced criticism for pushing through sweeping reforms of the justice system.
Government opponents say the changes are a power grab and undermine judges’ independence.
Law and Justice, which came to power in late 2015, has denied accusations of violating democracy.
It has argued that reforms are needed to reform an inefficient and sometimes corrupt judicial system tainted by the communist past.
Poland’s prime minister argued in January that some of the legal changes made by his government have met with criticism abroad because they are not understood in Western Europe.
(pk/gs)
Source: IAR