Length of judicial proceedings, overcrowding in prisons, situation of national minorities, education, domestic violence, women’s rights or freedom of the media – these are only some of the issues that concerned Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, who visited Poland last week. (3-JUN-08)
Written by Agnieszka Chmielecka/ HRH Warsaw
Memorandum to the Polish Government
Thomas Hammarberg arrived in Poland to assess the degree of implementation of the recommendations he put forward in June 2007, recommendations that related to human rights protection issues in Poland, with which he met during his visit in December 2006. The outcome of that visit consisted in a report prepared by Hammarberg – ´Memorandum to the Polish Government (Assessment of the Progress made in implementing the 2002 recommendations of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights)´ presented to the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers. This document elaborates on issues associated with the Polish judicial system, with particular emphasis on the following problems: length of judicial proceedings, overcrowding in prisons, access to professional attorneys and application of pre-trial detention. The Commissioner also issued opinions relating to the problem of discrimination, homophobia, associated with the situation of national minorities, education, domestic violence, trafficking in human beings, women’s rights or freedom of the media.
This year’s visit
During this year’s visit, the Commissioner met with inter alia the Head of the National Judicial Council, Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Justice, as well as the General Director of the Prison Service. Foreign Affairs Minister Radoslaw Sikorski presented the Commissioner with ´The program for implementing the recommendations formulated by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights in the 2007 memorandum´. Thomas Hammarberg also visited the headquarters of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and met with the participants of the international litigation seminar organized by the Foundation. He had an opportunity to familiarize himself with the conditions at the Warsaw detention ward in Sluzewiec and was also awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa of the Maria Grzegorzewska Academy of Special Education in Warsaw.
