A committee is in motion to analyse abuse of power

The committee on the investigation of abuse of power for erstwhile governments is expected to operate for a year and will present 3 sub-reports and a final study to be drawn up by 31 March next year. The first partial study on public media will be created by 15 July - said head of MS Adam Bodnar.

On Monday Adam Bodnar and Tomasz Siemoniak announced the uprising a peculiar committee to address the mechanisms of repression against civilian society and social activists in 2015-2023. It will be composed of 11 people and will be chaired by a patron Sylvia Gregorczyk-Abram.As indicated by the Minister of Justice and the lawyer General, committee to operate for a year and prepare 3 sub-reports and a final report. The final study shall be drawn up in accordance with the order setting up the committee until March 31, next year. Bodnar announced that the first sub-report should concern the issue of the operation of public media and the creation by 15 July.

"I would like to stress, this is not a committee of inquiry... This is simply a committee that is to act on the basis of collecting documentation, talking with NGOs, social organizations, with activists and activists, cooperating with another authorities, which I presume (...) will supply appropriate information and will prepare reports on the basis of all this information" - said Adam Bodnar.

Abuse of politicians

Head of the Ministry of abroad Affairs Tomasz Siemoniak noted that prosecutors under the supervision of the lawyer General effectively and consistently account for persons suspected of irregularities during erstwhile governments.

"However, together with the Minister (Justice - ed.), with the acceptance of the Prime Minister we saw a large request to deal with matters (...) abuse of power to the persecution of citizens" - he added.

He stressed that the committee was not to repress officers, people who worked in private positions. "It is intended to address those politicians who have made the method of their functioning out of abuse of power, usage of various instruments, usage of services, public media" - added.

"The question is how this could have happened and who decided that democratic activists were being watched utilizing the Pegasus system. How it was possible that surveillance material, partially prepared, was transmitted by the heads of peculiar services or politicians to the public TVP to hit certain people" - he noted.

What will the committee do?

This week Prime Minister Donald Tusk is expected to sign a "appropriate order" to establish a fresh body.

The main nonsubjective of the committee is to address issues related, among others, to freedom of assembly or freedom of speech.

The head of MS reported that the committee is so to deal with Public media activities and various restrictions in the context of organising and holding legal gatherings or take into account "the various surveillance mechanisms that have been applied to civilian society". The Commission is besides to analyse the application of legal action - civilian actions, disciplinary proceedings or penalties - to civilian society.

"We hope that the members of the committee will lead to the preparation of comprehensive documentation and, above all, recommendations concerning the operation of Polish authorities, so that specified cases do not take place in the future" - said Bodnar.

The head of MS besides pointed out Composition of the team; it will include, among another things, a carnist from the Jagiellonian University prof. Mikołaj Małacki, activist Klementyna Suchanow, King Dagmara Siadlak from the Defence Association Iuris, activist "Solidarity" and writer Andrzej Krajewski, as well as social scientist prof. Tomasz Grzyb or civilian rights expert Magdalena Dropek.

PAP