The biggest problem in access to information was the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border and the introduction of the state of emergency. On the one hand, the regulation on the state of emergency restricted the Act on Access to Public Information, access for journalists and activists for 3 months (September-November 2021), and then the amendment…
In 2021, almost nothing happened in terms of guarantees for NGOs. It was a crisis year in which there was sustained pressure on democracy and the rule of law. The only positives were that organizations led to public hearings being held on the National Recovery Plan and the election of an independent person as Ombudsman,…
Organizations call on senators for systemic solutions to the lack of control over special services’ activities. The problem of uncontrolled intelligence activities requires systemic solutions. Human rights organizations call on senators serving on the Extraordinary Committee on Pegasus not to stop at investigating the surveillance of senators Krzysztof Brejza, Ewa Wrzosek and Roman Giertych. Not…
9 January 2021 Dr hab. Michal Bernaczyk Associate Professor of the University of Wroclaw Faculty of Law, Administration and Economics Constitutional Law Department To whom it may concern, members of the international community, transparency advocacy groups, journalists, members of international media associations Explanatory Memorandum on the Motion submitted to the Polish Constitutional Tribunal…
Roksana Maślankiewicz: Tell me, which came first in your case – the right to information or animal rights? How did you learn about the right to information? Anna Gdula: I started by advocating for animal rights. In 2012, I met Iza Kadłucka on Facebook. We founded the first “Lex Nova” Foundation. During the first years…
After hearing the case brought by the Opole Voivodeship against Alina Czyżewska for the protection of personal rights, the court dismissed the claim. By criticising and condemning the actions of the authorities of the Opole Voivodeship, Czyżewska did not violate the personal rights of the inhabitants and residents, as alleged by the board of the…
Michał Zemełka, member of the Citizens’ Network Watchdog Poland, interviewed by Roksana Maślankiewicz. Tell us about your activity, how did you get interested in the issues of citizen control and the right to information? When did it start? What pushed you to become a watchdog? For as long as I can remember, human and civil…
Krzysztof Jakubowski, member of the Citizens’ Network Watchdog Poland, Founder and President of the Freedom Foundation (Fundacja Wolności), Man of the Year 2017 according to the Jury of the competition organised by “Dziennik Wschodni” is interviewed by Joanna Gucman-Muż. Joanna Gucman-Muż: As you know, Watchdog is celebrating its eighteenth anniversary this year. How many years…
Jacek Werder, a member of the Citizens Network Watchdog Poland, is interviewed by Paula Kłucińska. Paula Kłucińska: How did you get started as a watchdog? Jacek Werder: I was interested in local politics on a casual basis for about a dozen years, but never consistently or systematically. That changed a bit after I moved…
On 17 September 2021, the Sejm adopted the so-called anti-corruption bill authored by the Kukiz’15 party, and on 6 October it was passed to the Senate committees. Our representatives, Katarzyna Batko-Tołuć and Adam Dobrawy, participated in the session, presenting the our Association’s opinion on the Act (link to the opinion). After we presented our opinion,…
Ewa Majda, member of the Citizens’ Network Watchdog Poland, talks about her activity in conversation with Agnieszka Zdanowicz. Agnieszka Zdanowicz: Ewa, have you always felt the need to be socially engaged? Ewa Majda: Yes, that urge has always been in me. I’ve had periods of increased and reduced activity – I’ve been active in school…
If we want to know what the government is doing, we must have access to all documents concerning its functioning, not just the ones it wants to show us. The European Court of Human Rights has just announced that it has accepted complaint No. 10103/20 lodged by Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska (the Citizens Network Watchdog…
An interview with Marzena Błaszczyk, member of the Board of the Citizens’ Network Watchdog Poland, Chair of the Board of the association MODrzew and Vice-Chair of the Voice of Pedestrians Association. Martyna Bójko: Where did your social engagement start? What pushed you in that direction? Marzena Błaszczyk: When I was on maternity leave, I had…
Interview with Marcin Nieroda, member of the Citizens Network Watchdog Poland. Paula Kłucińska: In one of your first messages, you wrote that you are a member of the local movement that works to improve traffic safety. Tell us about your activity. Marcin Nieroda: It started with the association Akcja Miasto [the “City” campaign], one of…
Firmly convinced that the government should first and foremost serve the residents, he tries to turn this idea into reality. How does he do it in practice? We invite you to an interview with Krzysztof Pietruszewski, a member of the Citizens Network Watchdog Poland. Agnieszka Zdanowicz: Tell me, Krzysztof, how did your adventure with civil…
An interview with Jakub Jaworski, a technical high school student and a member of the Citizens’ Network Watchdog Poland. Agnieszka Zdanowicz: I’d like to start our conversation with the question that intrigues me the most – how did you come to be interested in the control over authorities at such a young age? What was…
Interview with Adam Dobrawy, programmer, member of the Citizens Network Watchdog Poland. Joanna Gucman-Muż: Adam, how did you find yourself in the Network? During my high school years, I became interested in the government’s actions regarding power ups (drugs sold as legal products). The then prime minister, Donald Tusk, took action to protect children from…
An interview with Kinga Kulik, member of the Citizens’ Network Watchdog Poland and a tenant activist. Martyna Bójko: I know that for you and other activists in the Lublin Tenant Action (Lubelska Akcja Lokatorska), the right to information is primarily a tool to fight for tenants’ rights. How did it start? Kinga Kulik: I see…
Objectives of the Association According to § 8 of the Statute, “The objective of the Association is to promote and protect freedom, human rights and civil liberties, as well as activities supporting the development of democracy, and to support monitoring and education activities, in particular those taken by members of the Association and individuals cooperating…
On the Watchdog Poland website, she writes about herself “I am a theatre actress by profession, but I am more and more interested in what the various authorities are hiding behind the scenes. I have found how important it is for democracy and the functioning of society to bring to light what is happening out…
His adventure with the Citizens’ Network Watchdog Poland began in 2013, when he took part in the Civic Sports Monitoring. Obtaining and analysing information about sport in his municipality – Goleniów – sparked a long-lasting interest in transparency. We invite you to read our interview with Bartosz Wilk. Joanna Gucman-Muż: Tell us about your social…
– A citizen was denied the right to enter a session of the Commune Council in Krościenko Wyżne with the government pandemic restrictions cited as the reason – However, these regulations could not establish either a ban or a restriction on citizens attending the commune council’s sessions – the Ombudsman points out to the wójt…
On 9 April 2021, in the Warszawa-Wola District Court, a criminal trial was to commence in which the defendant is the management board of the Lux Veritatis Foundation. One of the members of the Foundation’s board is Tadeusz Rydzyk (from the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer) who, thanks to the media channels he operates…
At the end of May 2021, an unexpected breakthrough took place after ten months of hanging around in the matter of choosing the Ombudsperson in Poland. For the first time, a candidate has been put forward who has a chance to be selected for this position and meets the standard that the Ombudsperson should meet.…
If we were to find a case which constitutes the quintessence of how the system of protection of our rights is being destroyed, it is the criminal case that the Polish state is trying to bring against Judge Igor Tuleya. The judiciary is disliked by other branches. It is because it has a great power…
On 9 September 2020, Poland’s Human Rights Ombudsman Adam Bodnar’s term of office came to an end. The Republic of Poland, if it had a responsible government, should have prepared itself for this by 10 August 2020 at the latest. Unfortunately, the only group to start preparations were the citizens themselves, who submitted a civic…
107 entities signed a petition to the First President of the Supreme Court, appealing for the withdrawal of her motion to the Constitutional Court. The motion concerns the examination of the constitutionality of certain provisions of the Act on access to public information. If the Constitutional Court rules these provisions are unconstitutional, citizens will lose…
We asked the Chancellery of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Health about the basis for the introduction of the national quarantine and information about the Medical Council, which was supposed to be a subsidiary body of the Prime Minister. Instead of information, we got a demonstration of different ways to inform about… the…
Although Michał Woś, the Minister of the Environment, has set up a working group to promote transparency in NGO funding, he himself gives evasive answers and restricts the citizen’s right of access to public information. For this reason, we are taking legal action and filing a complaint of his inaction. What exactly is it all…
From the beginning of the pandemic local governments had to face up to a difficult problem – how to organise council sessions in a safe way, at the same time without breaking regulations. It turns out it is not that simple. When the pandemic broke out, there were no dedicated regulations in force that would…
