Commissioner for Human Rights

25th anniversary of the Ombudsman 1988-2013

Data:

Human Rights Defender is the constitutional authority forlegal control and protection. In his activities, the Defender is integral and independent from other state authorities.

The Defender acts pursuant to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and the Human Rights Defender Act of 15 July 1987. The Defender is appointed by the Sejm and approved by the Senate for a 5 -year term of office.
The Human Rights Defender safeguards human and civic freedoms and rights specified in the Constitution and other legal acts. In order to fulfill this task the Defender investigates whether actions undertaken or abandoned by the entities, organizations or institutions obliged to observe and implement human and citizen rights and freedoms have not led to infringement of the law or the principles of social coexistence and justice, and undertakes appropriate measures.

Human Rights Defender is assisted by the Office of the Human Rights Defender.

 

 

Information and statistics data

The Human Rights Defender considers cases concerning violations of freedom and civil rights by the public authorities and organisations and institutions obliged to observe these rights.

 

Since the inception of the Office, in the years 1988 to 2012, the Human Rights Defender has received 1,282,175 applications in total (about 50 thousand per year, on average).

 

Over 25 years of activity, the Defender has referred to the Constitutional Tribunal 408 requests to declare the non-compliance of the provisions with the Constitution.

 

In 178 cases, the Defender joined constitutional complaints of other persons and institutions.

 

Using a wide range of available remedies, since 2000 the Defender has taken up 6,996 cases on his own initiative, i.e. “ex officio”.

 

From 1988 to October 2013, the Defender, in cases taken up “ex officio” has made 2040 so-called general applications to other public institutions, i.e., comments, opinions and postulates indicating the need to amend law or the way of its functioning in practice.

 

In the years 1988-2012, the Office of the Human Rights Defender has seen 110,172 customers.

 

Also, 296 710 pieces of legal information were provided by phone.