Hall of Shame: ODF spearheards the reckoning of the Law and Justice

On 15 October 2023, the Open Dialogue Foundation launched its all-new project. ListyHańby (Hall Of Shame) is a new platform aimed at tracking the abuses of the rule of law in Poland committed by the political party PiS (Law and Justice) and its cronies during its majority government between 2015 and 2023. 

Covering all levels of government, from the Prime Minister, Ministers, and PiS Chairman, to neo judges and prosecutors, and even the police, Hall Of Shame aims to facilitate the reckoning vis-à-vis PiS and its systemic abuse of the rule of law, as announced by the new Prime Minister and ex President of the European Council Donald Tusk.

By drafting indictments with the pro-bono help of lawyers, judges, and prosecutors, ODF documents cases of PiS and its cronies breaking the law, including cases of abuse of power, acting to the detriment of public interest, participating in an organised criminal group, attacking constitutional institutions, and even influencing judicial proceedings. 

At the time of its launch in October 2023, Hall Of Shame had already listed 50 entries, all of which are prepared by the very best attorneys (Kancelaria Dubois i Wspólnicy), judges (THEMIS Judges’ Association), and prosecutors (“Lex Super Omnia” Prosecutors’ Association) in Poland. In addition, current Member of the European Parliament Krzysztof Śmiszek together with the team at the political party Lewica (The Left) drafted several state of fact files. 

Moreover, on 10 October 2023, Martin Mycielski (ODF’s Vice-President & Executive Director) and Bartosz Kramek (Chair of the Supervisory Board) were hosted by on-line Radio Rebeliant in a special broadcast “A hearing of the victims of the public prosecution under Zbigniew Ziobro”, which served as a launch event for the Hall Of Shame. Together with other guests, including Ewa Wrzosek from the “Lex Super Omnia” Prosecutors’ Association, Martin and Bartosz explained that after eight years of PiS abusing the rule of law, there is a systemic need for a framework that would ensure accountability of PiS and its administration. In light of the pro-democratic opposition winning both the parliamentary and European elections, PiS can no longer jeopardise constitutional safeguards and undermine judicial proceedings.

Based on evidence compiled in the Hall Of Shame, On 20 May 2024, ODF notified the National Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the abuse of power committed by the Disciplinary Commissioners for the Judges of the Ordinary Courts (Rzecznicy Dyscyplinarni dla Sędziów Sądów Powszechnych), Piotr Schab, and his deputies, Michał Lasota and Przemysław Radzik. 

Schab, Lasota, and Radzik namely persecuted independent judges who publicly opposed the abuse of the rule of law by the National Public Prosecutor’s Office under Zbigniew Ziobro in order to obtain personal gain under the form of increasingly higher promotions within the judiciary. Moreover, ODF identified over 30 independent judges who fell victim to this coordinated abuse, this constituting basis for considering that Schab, Lasota, and Radzik actively participated in an organised criminal group. 

Those notifications are only one example of concrete impact brought by the Hall Of Shame. You can participate in restoring the rule of law and democracy in Poland by participating in the fundraiser to fuel the Hall Of Shame – Listy hańby PiS – pomóż rozliczyć nadużycia władzy #ListyHańby.

Artykuł Hall of Shame: ODF spearheards the reckoning of the Law and Justice pochodzi z serwisu Open Dialogue Foundation.