Brunon Kwiecien (C) at the Krakow district court on Monday. Photo: PAP/Jacek Bednarczyk
“This ruling is necessary in a democratic country as a matter of national security, and in order to protect state secrets,” Judge Aleksandra Almert stated at the Krakow court.
Brunon Kwiecien had earlier waived his right to anonymity, with his lawyers calling for an entirely open trial.
The prosecution had supported a media presence, provided that the press did not report certain aspects of the case, a situation which the defence argued was unworkable.
However, the court has now concluded that the testimonies of both Kwiecien and alleged accomplice Maciej O. will be off limits to the press.
Brunon Kwiecien, who had taught at the Krakow Agricultural University, has heard nine charges in all, among them planning a terrorist attack on Poland's constitutional authorities and the illegal possession of arms and explosives.
He was allegedly plotting to ram a vehicle packed with explosives into Poland's lower house of parliament at a date when both President Bronislaw Komorowski and Prime Minister Tusk were scheduled to be present. He was arrested in November 2012.
His lawyers will argue that Kwiecien was manipulated into planning the bomb attack by members of the Internal Security Agency (ABW).
Last week, lawyer Maciej Burda likened his client's predicament to that of the lead character in Hollywood film The Truman Show, in which a man is the focus of a reality television show without realising it.
“Brunon Kwiecien also acted in a world that was created for him,” Burda told the Dziennik Polski newspaper.
“This was not an ordinary situation in terms of motives,” he added, claiming that if his client had not been cajoled into action, the bomb plot would never have been hatched.
Meanwhile, Maciej O., who is accused of dealing arms to Kwiecien, has claimed that his weapons were collectors' pieces and that they were not used for illegal activities. He failed to appear in court on Monday, explaining that he could not afford to come to every session. (nh)
Source: PAP