Repression in Poland by the State prosecution must stop

CMS

Repression in Poland by the State prosecution must stop

Written declaration No. 768


This written declaration commits only those who have signed it We, the undersigned, declare the following:
In Resolution 2316 (2020) and Resolution 2359 (2021), the Parliamentary Assembly expressed concern regarding the politicisation of the state prosecution service in Poland. In two written declarations (Doc. 15458 and Doc. 15574), some Assembly members sounded the alarm about specific cases of repression. We are troubled to learn that the persecution of groups considered “inconvenient” by the authorities continues.
Women's rights and LGBT campaigners, like Justyna Wydrzyńska, Angelika Domańska or Bart Staszewski, are being targeted for their advocacy work promoting tolerance and human rights.
Journalists are being silenced, like Piotr Maślak, who criticised border guards for abusing rights of migrants, or Wojciech Czuchnowski of Gazeta Wyborcza, threatened by the state-owned PHH hotel holding for revealing its unlawful surveillance of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, opposition politicians and activist Bartosz Kramek.
The persecution of entrepreneurs like Piotr Osiecki and Przemysław Krych or, most recently, a business organisation president Maciej Witucki, continues. Actions against them, including raids by security services, arbitrary detention and criminal charges, not only harm individual entrepreneurs but also foster a hostile environment for entrepreneurship and investment.
We call on the Polish Government to end the harassment of individuals and organisations that exercise their right to free speech, peaceful assembly and entrepreneurship, and to provide compensation for damages suffered, most notably for any arbitrary detention.
Signed:

EFSTATHIOU Constantinos, Cyprus, SOC
FABRICIUS Camilla, Denmark, SOC
FAXE Sascha, Denmark, SOC
FILATOV Tarja, Finland, SOC
GAVAN Paul, Ireland, UEL
JENSEN Mogens, Denmark, SOC
KEMPPI Hilkka, Finland, ALDE
KERSTEN Franziska, Germany, SOC
KILJUNEN Kimmo, Finland, SOC
MARIE Didier, France, SOC
MODERT Octavie, Luxembourg, EPP/CD
MOUTQUIN Simon, Belgium, SOC
PETIT Maud, France, ALDE
PRINGLE Thomas, Ireland, UEL
RYLE Alexander, Denmark, ALDE
SHARMA Virendra, United Kingdom, SOC
SHEPPARD Tommy, United Kingdom, NR
ŚMISZEK Krzysztof, Poland, SOC
STIENEN Petra, Netherlands, ALDE
TÜRK-NACHBAUR Derya, Germany, SOC
VALENTIN Kim, Denmark, ALDE

Total = 21

  1. ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
  2. EPP/CD: Group of the European People's Party
  3. SOC: Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group
    UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
  4. NR: Representatives not belonging to a Political Group

CMS

Repression in Poland by the State prosecution must stop

Written declaration No. 768


This written declaration commits only those who have signed it We, the undersigned, declare the following:
In Resolution 2316 (2020) and Resolution 2359 (2021), the Parliamentary Assembly expressed concern regarding the politicisation of the state prosecution service in Poland. In two written declarations (Doc. 15458 and Doc. 15574), some Assembly members sounded the alarm about specific cases of repression. We are troubled to learn that the persecution of groups considered “inconvenient” by the authorities continues.
Women's rights and LGBT campaigners, like Justyna Wydrzyńska, Angelika Domańska or Bart Staszewski, are being targeted for their advocacy work promoting tolerance and human rights.
Journalists are being silenced, like Piotr Maślak, who criticised border guards for abusing rights of migrants, or Wojciech Czuchnowski of Gazeta Wyborcza, threatened by the state-owned PHH hotel holding for revealing its unlawful surveillance of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, opposition politicians and activist Bartosz Kramek.
The persecution of entrepreneurs like Piotr Osiecki and Przemysław Krych or, most recently, a business organisation president Maciej Witucki, continues. Actions against them, including raids by security services, arbitrary detention and criminal charges, not only harm individual entrepreneurs but also foster a hostile environment for entrepreneurship and investment.
We call on the Polish Government to end the harassment of individuals and organisations that exercise their right to free speech, peaceful assembly and entrepreneurship, and to provide compensation for damages suffered, most notably for any arbitrary detention.
Signed:

EFSTATHIOU Constantinos, Cyprus, SOC
FABRICIUS Camilla, Denmark, SOC
FAXE Sascha, Denmark, SOC
FILATOV Tarja, Finland, SOC
GAVAN Paul, Ireland, UEL
JENSEN Mogens, Denmark, SOC
KEMPPI Hilkka, Finland, ALDE
KERSTEN Franziska, Germany, SOC
KILJUNEN Kimmo, Finland, SOC
MARIE Didier, France, SOC
MODERT Octavie, Luxembourg, EPP/CD
MOUTQUIN Simon, Belgium, SOC
PETIT Maud, France, ALDE
PRINGLE Thomas, Ireland, UEL
RYLE Alexander, Denmark, ALDE
SHARMA Virendra, United Kingdom, SOC
SHEPPARD Tommy, United Kingdom, NR
ŚMISZEK Krzysztof, Poland, SOC
STIENEN Petra, Netherlands, ALDE
TÜRK-NACHBAUR Derya, Germany, SOC
VALENTIN Kim, Denmark, ALDE

Total = 21

  1. ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
  2. EPP/CD: Group of the European People's Party
  3. SOC: Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group
    UEL: Group of the Unified European Left
  4. NR: Representatives not belonging to a Political Group