Polish police arrested 28 demonstrators on January 26, at a rally to protest the planned presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin at a memorial service at the Auschwitz concentration camp on January 27. The protesters argued that Putin was a war criminal responsible for countless human rights abuses in Chechnya, which the Russian army is occupying. The 28 have been charged under a law that makes it illegal to offend a head of state present on Polish territory. Many of the protesters also carried signs condemning the presence at the service of US Vice-President Dick Cheney, and some also opposed the invitation to Israeli President Moshe Katsav.

From Green Left Weekly, February 2, 2005.
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