On February 9th, 2016 representatives of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights met with the Venice Commission where legislative procedure and the changes introduced in the Act on the Constitutional Tribunal were the issues raised by HFHR.
“The representatives of the Venice Commission are very well-oriented in the situation of the Constitutional Tribunal. The questions they asked referred to particular articles of the adopted Act amending the Act on the Constitutional Tribunal and our assessment of these regulations,” says Maciej Nowicki, HFHR’s deputy president.
HFHR and 15 other NGOs met with the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe on the 8th of February 2016.
“Among the topics discussed during the meeting were; the current developments and legal changes to human rights institutions, including the Constitutional Court and the Ombudsman. The Commissioner also raised the problems of judiciary, particularly the length of proceedings, length of pre-trial detention, as well as amendments to the penal procedure code. The last panel of discussions was devoted to gender equality, domestic violence and reproductive rights.” According to HFHR.
Within three months after the visit, the Commissioner will prepare a report about the situation of human rights in Poland. The report will reflect the outcome of the meetings with NGOs and public officials.
A Letter to the Venice Commission
At the beginning of December 2015, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights), a member of the Human Rights House Network (HRHN) and eight other NGOs sent a letter to the Venice Commission concerning the constitutional crisis taking place in Poland.
