ODF secures 4 PACE documents in defence the rule of law and human rights

ODF secures 4 PACE documents in defence the rule of law and human rights

03.05.2023

During the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that concluded last Friday, our representation (Martin Mycielski and Katarzyna Szczypska) together with Judge Maciej Ferek (reinstated after 522 days of suspension for applying the primacy of European law), discussed the rule of law and political persecution in Poland and the Palestinian […]

Statement re. P. A. Panzeri and The Spectator’s article by M. Hollingsworth

Statement re. P. A. Panzeri and The Spectator’s article by M. Hollingsworth

16.01.2023

Following the article by Mark Hollingsworth, published by The Spectator on 14 January 2023, we would like to highlight the fact that the Open Dialogue Foundation has little to no history of cooperation with former MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, one of the main suspects in the so-called Qatargate affair. It is necessary to note that […]

Hearing victims of the politicised Polish prosecution service at the Council of Europe

Hearing victims of the politicised Polish prosecution service at the Council of Europe

14.10.2022

During the October 2022 plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ODF had the honour to organise a public hearing under the title “Erosion of the rule of law in Poland: Political abuses of the prosecution office”. The event, held on 13 October in the Council’s Strasbourg headquarters, was hosted by […]

ODF organises hearing on the politicised prosecution service at OSCE

ODF organises hearing on the politicised prosecution service at OSCE

11.10.2022

In the weeks of 26 September – 7 October the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and its Warsaw-based Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) held its 2022 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, serving as a summit, or plenary session, of the OSCE’s human rights institution. The conference was attended by OSCE […]

Report of the Open Dialogue Foundation on the Public Prosecutor’s Office Under the Rule of the United Right Alliance

Report of the Open Dialogue Foundation on the Public Prosecutor’s Office Under the Rule of the United Right Alliance

29.09.2022

The Open Dialogue Foundation has compiled a report in which it furnishes evidence and examples of unprecedented politicisation of the Public Prosecutor’s Office since the moment the United Right Alliance (Zjednoczona Prawica) took power in Poland in 2015. The report provides examples of abuse of the Public Prosecutor’s Office by those in power, for whom […]

Polish Public Prosecutor’s Office: Selected Cases of Malicious Prosecution and Dereliction of Duties

Polish Public Prosecutor’s Office: Selected Cases of Malicious Prosecution and Dereliction of Duties

16.02.2022

Since the Law and Justice (PiS)-led United Right coalition took power in 2015, we have witnessed an unprecedented level of politicisation of the public prosecution service, which has been transformed into a tool serving political and personal interests of the ruling camp and its members. This resulted in a growing number of politically motivated cases of investigations carried out primarily against those regarded as opponents of the government.

IN-DEPTH REPORT: Challenging the principles of primacy and direct applicability of EU law by the Polish authorities, 6 months after the CJEU’s rulings of July 2021

IN-DEPTH REPORT: Challenging the principles of primacy and direct applicability of EU law by the Polish authorities, 6 months after the CJEU’s rulings of July 2021

09.02.2022

1. Foreword The independence of the judiciary in Poland has been systematically dismantled over the last six years, during which previously independent bodies, referred to as safety fuses of democracy, have been brought under political control by the ruling camp (such as the Constitutional Tribunal and the National Council of the Judiciary). At the same […]

Discussing the rule of law in Poland with OSCE PA rights leaders

Discussing the rule of law in Poland with OSCE PA rights leaders

01.02.2022

On February 1st, in the Warsaw headquarters of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR), the three leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s (OSCE PA) human rights committee met with Polish civil society representatives at the forefront of defending the rule of law in the country. The purpose of the meeting was […]

PACE resolution on the independence of judges and ODF – debunking

PACE resolution on the independence of judges and ODF – debunking

02.04.2021

Following our support of the Resolution on the independence of judges, adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on January 26th, ODF became a target for representatives of the Polish PiS government, whose actions were harshly criticised in the Resolution. PiS MP Arkadiusz Mularczyk, supported by British Conservative Ian Liddell-Grainger, initiated a […]

Prosecutorial standards in Poland are closer to those in Belarus than in the EU. ODF’s hearing for MEPs with persecuted Polish prosecutors

Prosecutorial standards in Poland are closer to those in Belarus than in the EU. ODF’s hearing for MEPs with persecuted Polish prosecutors

05.03.2021

On 4 March 2021 we organised an online hearing for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), European Parliament advisors and selected journalists under the title “Law and Justice’s Crackdown on Independent Prosecutors in Poland Intensifies”, featuring persecuted Polish independent prosecutors from the Lex Super Omnia association – Katarzyna Kwiatkowska, Jacek Bilewicz and Ewa Wrzosek – […]

Prosecutorial standards in Poland are closer to those in Belarus than in the EU. ODF’s hearing for MEPs with persecuted Polish prosecutors

Prosecutorial standards in Poland are closer to those in Belarus than in the EU. ODF’s hearing for MEPs with persecuted Polish prosecutors

05.03.2021

On 4 March 2021 we organised an online hearing for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), European Parliament advisors and selected journalists under the title “Law and Justice’s Crackdown on Independent Prosecutors in Poland Intensifies”, featuring persecuted Polish independent prosecutors from the Lex Super Omnia association – Katarzyna Kwiatkowska, Jacek Bilewicz and Ewa Wrzosek – […]

Polish & Moldovan judges must remain independent. A firm resolution adopted by PACE

Polish & Moldovan judges must remain independent. A firm resolution adopted by PACE

26.02.2021

On 28 January 2021, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution on judges in Poland and the Republic of Moldova. The resolution, resulting from ODF’s advocacy efforts back in 2018, urges the countries’ authorities to uphold the rule of law and ensure judicial independence. Prior to passing the resolution the Assembly voted on a series of amendments. Three out of five of the amendments that ODF’s team has helped to draw up and advocated for, further detailing the Polish government’s rule of law breaches, were accepted by an overwhelming majority.

A Breach Too Far: Call to the EC on the Assault on Judges Adjudicating on Prosecutor Krasoń’s Case

A Breach Too Far: Call to the EC on the Assault on Judges Adjudicating on Prosecutor Krasoń’s Case

28.01.2021

In the latest instance of the Polish authorities’ open disregard for the rule of law, 14 Cracow judges have been exposed to politicised prosecution and investigations. Their alleged crime? Handing down judgments which were inconvenient for the authorities and failing to persecute Prosecutor Krasoń – a staunch defender of the independence of the judiciary.  This […]

It’s time to take stock: how we fought for the rule of law in Poland in 2020

It’s time to take stock: how we fought for the rule of law in Poland in 2020

28.12.2020

The tumultuous year 2020 is coming to an end. It is time to sum up what we have managed to do in the fight for the rule of law in Poland. The pandemic was not an easy time – forced austerity and accelerated adaptation to new conditions. We closed our offices and moved our democracy […]

ODF holds online hearing for MEPs with persecuted Polish judges

ODF holds online hearing for MEPs with persecuted Polish judges

09.10.2020

On October 8, 2020 we had the pleasure of organising an online hearing for Members of the European Parliament under the title “How should the EU support the Polish judiciary?”, featuring persecuted Polish judges Beata Morawiec and Dariusz Mazur, with additional expertise provided by Prof. Laurent Pech. The event was co-hosted by MEPs Róza Thun […]