The Polish government has requested the launch of an investigation to determine whether Iaroslav Hunka, a former member of an SS unit applauded last week in the Canadian parliament, seeking his extradition, reports AFP and politicalaccording to News.ro.
Iaroslav Hunka (right) in the Canadian parliamentPhoto: Patrick Doyle / Zuma Press / Profimedia Images
Canada has been rocked by scandal since Sunday, after the Ukrainian veteran of the Galician SS Division was given a standing ovation in the House of Commons during President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to Ottawa.
The Canadian authorities say that they did not know that it was a Nazi, and the president of the Chamber, Anthony Rota, who invited him, resigned.
But the scandal did not stop, it reached Poland, which is analyzing an extradition request. An investigation was opened at the request of the Polish Minister of Education Przemysław Czarnek in order to verify possible war crimes committed in Poland by Jaroslav Hunka during the Second World War.
For the time being, Canadian Minister of Justice Arif Virani has not received any extradition request, according to the Quebec publication La Presse.
Politician move by the Polish government?
In reality, such an approach has little chance of success and seems more like simple politicking in the context of the elections scheduled in Poland on October 15. The government of the Law and Justice Party (PiS, conservative) has been trying for several weeks to increase its electoral share, relying on a series of nationalist positions.
The populist power thus hopes to stop a rapid rise of the radical right and keep its majority.
“The extradition process is a sensitive issue that, in fact, comes to my desk for a final decision,” declares the Canadian Minister of Justice, who refuses to make further comments, in order “not to compromise the investigation.”
But such a measure seems difficult to apply, considering the advanced age of the Nazi veteran Iaroslav Hunka (98 years old). The Poles must prove that the former SS member from Galicia committed war crimes more than 75 years after the events.
Another apology in Canada after the Hunka incident
Members of the National Assembly of Quebec (local) unanimously adopted a motion by the Parti Québécois on Tuesday for an official dissociation from the events that took place in the House of Commons in Ottawa.
“We are associated with this against our will”, expressed his regret in a press conference, the leader of the party, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
“We have nothing to do with this historic, monumental and shameful blunder,” he emphasized.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau distanced himself from the blunder, with the chancellery reminding that the parliament in Ottawa operates independently of the ministerial cabinet.
In fact, the former Speaker of the House of Commons took full responsibility for the mistake in his resignation letter.
