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On 11 December 2009 the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights celebrated its 20 anniversary. The main ceremony took place on 11 December 2009 in Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle. Our special guest was Ludmila Aleksiejeva, the head of Moscow Helsinki Group (honored this year Sacharov Prize).

The interview with Jerzy Stępień, a former Judge and President of the Constitutional Tribunal (“Gazeta Świąteczna”, 7-8 November) inclined me to make a few remarks. It is not my aim to refer to the arguments concerning the presence of the cross in school put forward by Jerzy Stępień. I do understand that one can have different views on this matter, but I share the opinion of the European Court of Human Rights.

Not for the first time, not all of a sudden or without warning are we confronted with the problem of an empty wall again. Stripping the wall of symbols can be the consequence of the idea that we are all different and all equal at the same time. And so we stand in front of one, common wall.

The Supreme Administrative Court, in a verdict from 28 October 2009, stated that the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights has the right to expect the President of the Institute of National Remembrance to explain on what legal basis the employees of the institute use the institute’s documents.

Publishing press by the organs of state administration and self-government should be forbidden – declared the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and IWP press publishers organisation in a joint statement.

On 20 October 2009 the European Court of Human Rights returned a verdict in the case Nowiński v. Republic of Poland (25924/06). It claimed that the interpretation of the rules of civil procedure by the Polish courts violated the right to court access.

The Warsaw-Śródmieście District Court in a verdict of 16 October 2008 acquitted D. Szwed of charges of organising and presiding over an unlawful assembly (article 52 § 1 of the Petty Offences’ Code) which protested against building a motorway through Rospuda Valley.

On 28 October 2009 the Supreme Administrative Court of Republic of Poland („SAC”) issued a precedent judgment setting out the standard regarding the NGOs’ power to control activities of public bodies with the use of Freedom of Information Act. The SAC declared that the President of the Institute of National Remembrance („IPN”) may not ignore motions of NGOs requesting access to information or explanation of certain actions undertaken by the IPN employees.

Association of Young Journalists “Polis”, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and the U.S. Embassy organised a meeting with Michael Haltzel – senior fellow at Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University. It took place on 9 October 2009 in Collegiun Civitas in Warsaw.