European rights court says Poland denied judges right to appeal

FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium May 5, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman

WARSAW (Reuters) - The Polish justice minister infringed on the rights of two court officials when he dismissed them without letting them appeal, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Tuesday, dealing a blow to the government's judicial reforms.

Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party has introduced a series of judiciary reforms that critics, including the European Union's executive, say may harm the independence of the courts.