Latest: Polish president signs Holocaust speech legislation into law
: Poland's president has signed a bill that outlaws blaming Poland as a nation for crimes committed by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.
Officials confirmed Andrzej Duda had enacted the law about six hours after he announced he planned to do so.
However, Mr Duda said earlier in the day he planned to ask Poland's constitutional court to evaluate the bill, leaving open the possibility it might be amended.
As written, the legislation approved by Polish MPs carries fines and prison sentences of up to three years for public statements that falsely attribute the crimes of Nazi Germany to Poland.
Both Israel and the US have criticised the law. Israeli officials and Holocaust scholars said it would allow Poland to whitewash the role of Poles who killed or denounced Jews during Nazi Germany's occupation of Poland during the Second World War.
The Polish president has said he will sign into law a controversial proposal to outlaw blaming Poland for crimes committed during the Holocaust.
However, in an unusual move, Andrzej Duda also said he will ask the country's constitutional court to evaluate the bill and suggest possible amendments.
The measure, passed by Polish MPs, will impose prison terms of up to three years for statements blaming Poles as a nation for crimes committed by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
The move has caused a diplomatic crisis with Israel, which fears it will enable Poland to whitewash the role of Poles who killed or denounced Jews to Germans during the German occupation of Poland.
The United States also strongly opposes the legislation, saying it could hurt Poland's strategic relations with Israel and the US.
