THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL’S REPORT ON RETALIATORY STEPS CONCERNING HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION ORGANISATIONS. The published report contains e.g. the Secretary General’s information on steps taken with regard to the Polish Commissioner for Human Rights. (more)
CHR Adam Bodnar and his team have been granted the Roland Berger Human Dignity award. The granting foundation has appreciated the CHR’s extraordinary commitment to the protection of civil rights and freedoms, within the Commissioner’s constitutional mandate, despite personal and political attacks against him. (more)
COURTS AND THE SYSTEM OF JUSTICE
- Did the TVP television channel take part in the judge defaming action carried out by certain staff members of the Ministry of Justice? The CHR has requested information from the National Broadcasting Council and TVP SA President Jacek Kurski. (more)
- The disciplinary representative of judges is not going to explain the case of Polish judges’ insult by certain staff members of the Ministry of Justice, because he works closely with the persons whose activities have been disclosed by the media, has written the CHR in his letter of intervention. (more)
- The legislator has taken steps to standardize written instructions issued by courts to parties to civil proceedings. The texts should be ready by 5 August 2020, according to the reply sent by Deputy Minister of Justice to the CHR. (more)
- People complain to the CHR that lawyers who have undermined interests of their clients are protected because of wrongly understood professional solidarity. The Supreme Bar Council has replied to the Commissioner’s question and stated that the situation is improving e.g. thanks to the possibilities offered by the new Bar Regulations. The average duration of case consideration by the Bar Disciplinary Panel is now only 3 months. (more)
- The reply of the chairman of the Verification Commission does not relate to the issues mentioned in the Commissioner’s letter, and chairman Kaleta’s comments indicate he probably has no knowledge of the CHR’s competences. He is not aware either of the Commissioner’s activities in support of tenants and victims of the property restitution processes, although information on them is publicly available. The CHR has therefore sent another letter of intervention to the chairman. (more)
- Was it in line with the law that a pregnant customs officer lost her position as a result of not being offered a transfer to the National Revenue Administration? The lack of such an offer had to be confirmed by an administrative decision. No decision like this should have been issued with regard to a pregnant woman. The National Revenue Administration will have to analyse the Supreme Administrative Court’s judgment on the case that was joined by the CHR. (more)
- The Act on the Civil Service: the CHR has withdrawn his application from the Constitutional Tribunal. (more)
OTHER NEWS
- Two Prison Service officers from the Warsaw-Grochów Pre-Trial Detention Centre have worked 892 overtime hours. There are not enough cleaning products, and even not enough pens in the facility. Another problem for the prison service staff is the lack of a hospital for prisoners, as in the building of the Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Rakowiecka street a museum has been established to commemorate indomitable soldiers as well as Poland’s political prisoners of the communist era. Now the closest hospital for prisoners is the one in Łódź. These are the conclusions of the CHR’s assessment conducted on 17 July 2019. (more)
- The CHR representatives took part in the ceremonies commemorating the anniversary of the August agreements and the outbreak of World War II. (more)