Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) notes today’s move by Polish legislators to amend aspects of the country’s misguided Holocaust law.

In a 388-25 vote with five abstentions, lawmakers in the lower house of parliament approved changes that would remove the threat of jail time for anyone who implied the Polish government or people were complicit in Nazi atrocities.  Poland’s upper house approved the changes shortly after and President Duda signed the updated text into law.

The original law, which became official on Feb. 6, was widely criticized for discouraging free speech and threatening to inhibit research into humanity’s darkest chapter. 

 “FSWC is encouraged by this first step in righting a terrible wrong but remains deeply concerned by the law’s original intent,” said FSWC President and CEO Avi Benlolo. “This law set a dastardly precedent and sent a chill through academic circles and Jewish communities worldwide. It should have never passed in the first place.”