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The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has received the application brought in the case of Abu Zubaydah vs. Poland. This is yet another case related to human right infringements that allegedly happened in the secret CIA prison in Poland.

The HFHR urged Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski to spare no effort, both in the bilateral relations with Russia and at the level of international organisations, to counteract threats to the functioning of the civil society in that country. The HFHR responded to thorough inspections of Russian non-governmental organisations carried out by the country’s authorities in the last several weeks.

The right to be a human rights defender has been reinforced by the resolution adopted by consensus at the Human Rights Council. The resolution focuses on legislation affecting, restricting and criminalising the work and activities of human rights defenders.

The HFHR has presented the second opinion on the draft legislative guidelines for the law on obtaining and using telecommunication data drafted by the Ministry of Interior. The reviewed legislative draft aims at restricting the interference of public bodies with privacy of individual persons and strengthening the control mechanisms over obtaining and using telecommunications data.

Chakib Marakchi is a Moroccan citizen. In 2009, he applied to the Head of the Office for Foreigners for the removal of his personal data from both the Polish list of unwelcome foreigners and the Schengen Information System. The Office for Foreigners twice declined Mr Marakchi’s request.

The Supreme Audit Office published the report on the provision of health care services to inmates. Its findings are, to a large extent, similar to the conclusions of the HFHR’s programme “Health Care in Polish Prisons”, which was being implemented by the Foundation for the last two years.

The HFHR has begun to observe the trial of 21 men charged with assaulting police officers and using force to obstruct their work. The incident allegedly happened in May 2010 on the 10th-Anniversary Stadium in Warsaw after the lethal shooting of Maxwell Itoya, a Nigerian citizen. The defendants come from Nigeria, Cameroon, Guatemala and India.

Four judges who had not been appointed to office in 2007 made another complaints to the Constitutional Tribunal. The complainants are represented by advocates Marcin Ciemiński, Clifford Chance and Agnieszka Wardak, Salans, and legal counsellor Patrick Radzimierski, Salans, all acting pro bono.

A court in Lidzbark Warmiński ordered prosecutors to continue the investigation in a case of men beaten by officers at a police station. The court instructed the prosecution to interview a new witness in the case.Krystian Jacyno and Kazimierz Wołkowski had been beaten while interrogated at the District Police Headquarters in Lidzbark Warmiński.