Commissioner for Human Rights

Commissioner for Human Rights VII term

Adam Bodnar, PhD

Adam Bodnar was born on 6 January 1977 in Trzebiatów.

He graduated from the faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Warsaw and also from LL.M. programme in the field of comparative constitutional law at Central European University in Budapest. In 2006 he was awarded PhD degree at University of Warsaw in the field of constitutional law. His PhD thesis entitled: “Multi-level society in the European constitutional sphere“ was awarded with honourable mention in the competition organized by Przegląd Sejmowy (Parliamentary Review).

In 2004-15 Adam Bodnar worked for Helsinki Foundation of Human Rights, firstly as a co-founder and coordinator of Precedent Cases Programme and then as a head of legal department and vice-president of the Management Board. He is also an expert in the Agency of Fundamental Rights of European Union. In 2013-2014 Bodnar was a member of the board of directors of the United Nations Fund for Victims of Torture. In 2001-2004 he worked as a lawyer in Weil, Gotshal & Mangers law firm. From 2006 he lectured at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warsaw - he finished cooperation in 2020. Since March 2020 he is a professor at the SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities. He also lectures at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology.

Until the time of assuming the post of Ombudsman, Adam Bodnar, PhD cooperated with various non-governmental organizations, including Panaptykon Fund (chairman of the Foundation Council), ClientEarth Polska (member of the Programme Council), Prof. Zbigniew Hołda Association (co-founder and the member of the Management Board). He was also a member of the Civic Legislation Forum operating at Batory Foundation and of the editorial team of kulturaliberalna.pl.

In 2011 he was awarded with the Tolerance Prize by the Polish LGBT organizations. In 2013 he received a scholarship within the scope of German Marshall Memorial Fellowship programme.
With an approval of 67 non-governmental organizations in 2015 he was notified for the post of Ombudsman by Democratic Left Alliance Parliamentary Club and by independent members of the parliament, and also by Civic Platform Parliamentary Club. The Sejm appointed him at this post on 24 of July 2015 and on 7 August 2015 the Senate of the Republic of Poland approved this choice. Then, on 9 September 2015 the Sejm took his oath.

In 2018 Commissioner for Human Rights Adam Bodnar and his Office were laureates of the Norwegian Rafto Prize awarded to human rights defenders across the world. 

Adam Bodnar is an author of numerous scientific publications in the field of law, among the others these are:

• Obywatelstwo wielopoziomowe. Status jednostki w europejskiej przestrzeni konstytucyjnej (Multi-level society. The status of an individual in the constitutional sphere), Wydawnictwo Sejmowe, Warsaw 2008;
• Editing: Przekonania moralne władzy publicznej a wolność jednostki, (Moral beliefs of the public power and the freedom of an individual) Warsaw 2008 (along with Prof. Mirosław Wyrzykowski);
• The Charter of Fundamental Rights: Differentiated Legal Character of Charter’s Provisions, Their Consequences for Individuals, Court and Legislator, [in:] Jan Barcz (ed.) Fundamental Rights Protection in the European Union, CH Beck 2009, pp. 145 -167;
• Adam Bodnar, Maciej Bernatt, Stosowanie tymczasowego aresztowania w Polsce – problem strukturalny. Glosa do wyroku ETPCz z 3 lutego 2009 r. w sprawie Kauczor przeciwko Polsce (Detention on remand in Poland – structural problem. Commentary to the judgment of ECtHR from 3 February 2009 in Kauczor vs. Poland), European Judicial Review, no 5/2010, pp. 48-53;
• Adam Bodnar, Zmiana Konstytucji jako konsekwencja wykonania wyroku ETPCZ. Glosa do wyroku w sprawie Alajos Kiss przeciwko Węgrom (skarga nr 38832/06, wyrok z 20 maja 2010 r.)(Amendments to the Constitution as a consequence of the execution of the judgment of ECtHR) Commentary to the judgement in Alajos Kiss vs. Hungary (complain no 38832/06, judgement of 20 May 2010), European Judicial Review, no 10/2010, pp. 38-49;
• Osoby homoseksualne a wybrane zagadnienia prawa administracyjnego i praktyki administracyjnej (Homosexual persons and selected issues of administrative law and administrative practice), [in:] Mirosław Wyrzykowski, Roman Wieruszewski (ed.) Orientacja seksualna i tożsamość płciowa. Aspekty prawne i społeczne (Sexual orientation and gender identity. Legal and social aspects), Instytut Wydawniczy Euro-Prawo, Warsaw 2009, pp. 83-101;
• Skuteczność Europejskiej Konwencji Praw Człowieka w Polsce (The effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights in Poland), [in:] Tomasz Giaro (ed.) Skuteczność prawa (The law effectiveness), LIBER, Warsaw 2010, pp. 189-213;
• Adam Bodnar, Anna Śledzińska, Kontakty między rodzicami a dziećmi w świetle orzecznictwa Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka oraz innych instrumentów międzynarodowych (Relations between parents and children in the light of the judicature of the European Court of Human Rights and other international instruments), [in:] Jacek Ignaczewski (ed.) Władza rodzicielska i kontakty z dziećmi (Parental responsibility and contact with children), CH Beck, Warsaw 2010, pp. 489-515;
• Adam Bodnar, Anna Śledzińska, Rozwód i separacja w świetle orzecznictwa Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka oraz prawa wspólnotowego (Divorce and separation in the light of the judicature of the European Court of Human Rights and the Community law), [in:] Jacek Ignaczewski (ed.) Władza rodzicielska i kontakty z dziećmi (Parental responsbility and contact with children), CH Beck, Warsaw 2010, pp. 531 – 551;
• Adam Bodnar, Małgorzata Szuleka, Koncepcja nadużycia prawa w Europejskiej Konwencji Praw Człowieka a mowa nienawiści (The concept of abuse of rights in the European Convention on Human Rights and the hate speech), [in:] R. Wieruszewski i inni (ed.) Mowa nienawiści a wolność słowa. Aspekty prawne i społeczne (Hate speech and freedom of speech. Legal and social aspects), Wolters Kluwer, Warsaw 2010, pp. 150 – 172;
• Fuzje i przejęcia w świetle praktyki Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka (Mergers and acquisitions in the light of the practice of the European Court of Human Rights), [in:] Prawo handlowe w XXI wieku. Czas stabilizacji, ewolucji czy rewolucji (Commercial law in XXI century. The stabilization, evolution or revolution time). Jubilee Book of Professor Józef Okolski, edited by M. Modrzejewska, Wolters Kluwer, Warsaw 2010, pp. 15-28;
• Shaping the Freedom of Assembly: Counter-Productive Effects of the Polish Road towards Illiberal Democracy, [in:] A. Sajo (ed.) Free to Protest: Constituent Power and Street Demonstration, Eleven International Publishing, Utrecht, pp. 165 – 187;
• Adam Bodnar, Ewa Łętowska, Ochrona własności w Polsce w świetle orzecznictwa Trybunału Konstytucyjnego oraz Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka (Property Protection in Poland in the light of the judicature of the Constitutional Tribunal and the European Court of Human Rights ) [in Russian], [in:] Конституционно-правовые основы собственности и предпринимательства: проблемы реализации: Сборник докладов, Institute of Public Law and Policy, Moscow, ISBN 978-5-94357-059-4, pp. 106-159;
• Organizacje skrajne w orzecznictwie sądów polskich oraz Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka (Extreme organizations in the judicature of the Polish courts and the European Court of Human Rights), Stowarzyszenie Otwarta Rzeczpospolita, Warsaw 2013.

photo Kluczek