violations in the case of Judge Paweł protesters to stations outside Warsaw, which Juszczyszyn, who had been suspended by hindered their access to lawyers. the Disciplinary Chamber in 2020 after he FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION questioned the independence of the National Council of the Judiciary. In March, the District Court in Płock Judge Igor Tuleya, an outspoken critic of acquitted three activists who faced charges of government interference with judicial “offending religious beliefs” for possessing independence, continued to face criminal and distributing posters and stickers proceedings after the Disciplinary Chamber depicting the Virgin Mary with an LGBTI 2 removed his immunity in 2020. rainbow halo. An appeal by the prosecutor was pending at the end of the year. WOMEN’S RIGHTS In June, the police closed the investigation In October, the Group of Experts (GREVIO) into a charge of “theft and burglary” allegedly monitoring implementation of the Council of committed by two activists involved in a 2020 Europe Convention on preventing and poster campaign accusing the government of combating violence against women and manipulating Covid-19 statistics. domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) In November, a district court in Warsaw urged Poland to fully incorporate the notion convicted journalist Ewa Siedlecka of criminal of freely given consent, as required by the defamation for articles she wrote in 2019. Istanbul Convention, and to ensure She had exposed a hate campaign linked to appropriate sanctions for all non-consensual the then deputy justice minister, which sexual acts. GREVIO also criticized Poland for targeted judges opposing “reforms” which the lack of action on domestic violence. undermined judicial independence. SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS There was a further rollback on sexual and In response to continuing violations of LGBTI reproductive rights.3 In January, the people’s rights, the European Commission Constitutional Tribunal published a ruling that launched infringement procedures. In the law permitting abortions in cases of September it requested that five regional severe fetal impairments was councils withdraw anti-LGBTI declarations unconstitutional. Hospitals in Poland stopped adopted in 2019, making it a condition of providing abortion services in cases of such receipt of EU funding. In response, also in impairments to avoid medical staff facing September, four regional councils withdrew criminal liability. In July, the ECtHR formally such resolutions. requested a response from Poland in the cases of 12 individuals who claimed that the REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS country’s abortion legislation violated their Border guard officials admitted pushing back right to a private and family life and the asylum seekers to Belarus. Between 18 and prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment. 19 August a group of 32 asylum seekers from FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY Afghanistan, who had entered from Belarus, was pushed back to the Belarussian side of The publication of the Constitutional Court the border. All 32 tried to seek international ruling banning abortions in cases of severe protection in Poland but Polish border guards fetal impairments triggered protests in would not allow them to access Polish January and February. During territory. Despite two orders by the ECtHR, demonstrations held on 27 January in Poland failed to provide the group with food, Warsaw, the police arrested 20 protesters water, shelter, medical assistance and access 4 and filed 250 cases alleging administrative to lawyers. offences. The police took the arrested In October, parliament adopted amendments to the Law on Foreigners and Amnesty International Report 2021/22 302