Amnesty International Poland’s director condemned Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s comments as “madly dangerous,” arguing they threaten international law’s role in protecting citizens’ rights.
Amnesty International Responds to Tusk’s Words as “Madly Dangerous”
Amnesty International Poland’s director, Anna Błaszczak‑Banasiak, described Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s remarks as “madly dangerous,” calling them another attempt to weaken or even undermine the essential role of international law in safeguarding the rights of Polish citizens.
Błaszczak‑Banasiak highlighted that the Convention allows citizens to challenge police brutality in courts, seek compensation for property expropriation, and that the state cannot prosecute journalists for their work or surveil citizens without constraints. She warned that stripping these rights from citizens is short‑sighted, or even calculated, and “never completely reasonable.”
In Europe Only Autocrats Undermine It: What Does the Convention Give Us?
The European Convention on Human Rights led to the creation of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which has granted Polish citizens the right to appeal doctors’ refusals to perform abortions and has required Poland to recognize same-sex partnerships.
EU Court Cases Require Poland to Strengthen Rights
Dr. Adam Ploszka explained that Poland’s obligation to improve areas such as recognizing partner relationships, combating hate speech, expanding abortion access, and restoring rule of law arises from a series of cases lost by Poland before the European Court of Human Rights.
Will Poland Withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights? Tusk: Completely Reasonable
Donald Tusk, speaking in an interview with The Sunday Times, said that mass migration poses a serious challenge to European stability and that the restrictive ECHR hinders addressing it. He added that reforms are necessary, and if the 46 signatories cannot agree on reforms, it would be “completely reasonable” to consider simply exiting the Convention.