Poland’s Justice Minister and Prosecutor-General Adam Bodnar announced on Monday that the commission would consist of 11 members and be chaired by prominent human rights lawyer Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram.
The body will be tasked with examining how constitutional freedoms, such as freedom of speech and the right to protest, were restricted during the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government's rule.
It will also investigate the role of public media, the use of surveillance and legal measures such as lawsuits and disciplinary actions brought against civil society actors.
Bodnar said the idea for the commission stemmed from observing how a previous parliamentary body had investigated alleged Russian influence on Polish politics.
"Together with Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, and with the support of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, we believe it is worth dedicating time and energy to examining the mechanisms through which civil society groups and activists were subjected to various forms of pressure between 2015 and 2023," Bodnar said.
The commission will operate for one year, producing three interim reports and a final report, due by March 31, 2026.
The first report, scheduled for July 15 of this year, will focus on the operations of Poland’s public broadcasters.
Bodnar told reporters that this is not a prosecutorial or investigative body but rather one aimed at collecting documentation and testimonies.
"This commission will gather information, speak with NGOs, activists and civil society representatives, and cooperate with state bodies, which, we assume, will provide the necessary data," he said.
The commission's members will include criminal law expert Mikołaj Małecki from Jagiellonian University in the southern city of Kraków, activist and writer Klementyna Suchanow, civil rights advocate Kinga Dagmara Siadlak from the Defensor Iuris association, former Solidarity member and journalist Andrzej Krajewski, social psychologist Tomasz Grzyb, and civil rights expert Magdalena Dropek.
Siemoniak said that the commission’s work is not aimed at punishing rank-and-file civil servants or police officers.
"This is not about targeting ordinary public officials," he said. "The commission will focus on politicians who turned the abuse of power—by misusing state institutions, public media and surveillance—into a method of governing."
He pointed to the alleged use of Pegasus, a powerful spyware tool, against democratic activists, and claimed that manipulated material gathered through this surveillance was shared by politicians and security service leaders with public television TVP in order to discredit opponents.
"We need answers as to how this could happen and who authorised it," Siemoniak said.
Bodnar revealed that his ministry has commissioned legal opinions from external experts on whether Article 44 of Poland’s constitution could be used to extend the statute of limitations in cases where justice could not be served at the time.
The article stipulates that the clock on the statute of limitations only starts when circumstances preventing the pursuit of justice have ended.
Bodnar told the media that this could be relevant in cases such as the prosecution of abuses during women’s rights protests beginning in 2020, where legal deadlines may be approaching.
"The prosecution cannot simply ignore the issue of limitation periods," Bodnar said. "Perhaps one outcome of the commission’s work will be recommendations on the use of Article 44 by the broader justice system."
Prime Minister Donald Tusk is expected to formally establish the commission by signing an executive order later this week.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP