The Committee on Justice and Human Rights of the Sejm took note of the information on the activities of the CHR in 2022
Date:
The Commissioner for Human Rights Marcin Wiącek presented a report on the activities of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHR) and the state of human and civil rights protection in Poland in 2022 at a meeting of the Sejm Committee on Justice and Human Rights on 25 January 2024. In his speech, he discussed the main issues related to human rights compliance, highlighting the Office's intervention activities and numerous complaints and petitions submitted to various institutions, including the Constitutional Tribunal and administrative courts.
Marcin Wiącek mentioned the statistical numbers relating to received complaints and advice provided by the OCHR, as well as detailed interventions on various legal issues such as care benefits, Swiss franc loans, or refugee rights. Of particular importance was the Office's involvement in issues related to the influx of refugees from Ukraine, changes in tax law under the Polish Deal, and amendments to the Executive Criminal Code.
During the discussion with parliamentarians, Wiącek answered questions on issues such as the situation in prisons, asylum policy, and the status of judges. He emphasised the need for legal reform, particularly in the light of rulings by the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The final topic of discussion was the effective functioning of the Office and its structure. In this regard, the Commissioner noted the difficulties associated with budgetary and staffing constraints. He stressed the need to strengthen the OCHR financially, particularly in the context of its possible role as a whistleblower protection body.
