Polish MEP Grzegorz Braun faces charges over imprisoning a doctor who performed a legal abortion; he failed to appear for questioning.
Charges Against Braun
Four of six charges against Grzegorz Braun stem from an April 2025 incident when he and his supporters forcibly entered a hospital in Oleśnica and confined Dr. Gizela Jagielska in her office. The doctor was harassed for performing a legal abortion of a fetus at nine months of pregnancy. At the time, Braun was a candidate for President of Poland.
The remaining two charges relate to Braun destroying an exhibition of photographs from an equality march at Opole Market Square and making anti-Semitic statements on a YouTube channel.
These charges were made possible after the European Parliament lifted the MEP’s immunity in these cases.
Previous Attempts to Question Braun
Charges were initially set to be presented to Braun in January 2025, but he avoided interrogation by submitting a medical certificate. When he appeared at the prosecutor’s office on February 17, the questioning did not proceed because Braun requested the removal of lead prosecutor Karolina Stocka-Mycek from the case.
According to prosecutor Stocka-Mycek, Polish regulations require that pending consideration of such a request by a superior prosecutor, no investigative actions can be taken against the accused.
Prosecutor Reassigned
Braun’s request to have prosecutor Stocka-Mycek removed was ultimately rejected. However, Stocka-Mycek was reassigned to the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Wrocław, and a new prosecutor was appointed to lead the investigation.
Braun Absent Again
For a scheduled questioning on March 4, 2025, Braun failed to appear at the prosecutor’s office. Instead, he submitted an explanation stating his absence was due to his duties as a Member of the European Parliament and proposed alternative dates for the interrogation.
Damian Pownuk, spokesman for the Wrocław District Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed Braun’s explanation regarding his parliamentary obligations but noted that the MEP also provided alternative dates when he could be available for questioning.
