Civic Coalition Moves to Nominate Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram as Ombudsman

With Professor Marcin Wiącek’s term ending on July 23, the Civic Coalition has launched a signature drive to nominate attorney and activist Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram as the next Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Nomination Process

The term of the current Ombudsman, Professor Marcin Wiącek, expires on July 23. Candidates for the position must be formally proposed by June 23. To advance the nomination of Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram, the head of the Civic Coalition parliamentary club, Zbigniew Konwiński, has instructed deputies to sign the official support list.

Minister Adam Szłapka confirmed the development, describing the candidate as highly qualified and expressing the club’s intent to move forward with the nomination. Szłapka emphasized that the Ombudsman’s core mandate is to defend the rule of law and support citizens, noting Gregorczyk-Abram’s consistent track record of providing legal assistance during public protests.

Candidate Profile

Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram is a lawyer, social activist, and scholarship recipient at Yale and Georgetown Universities. She has played a key role in the Free Courts Foundation and the Committee for the Defense of Justice, organizations dedicated to monitoring political pressure on the judiciary and providing legal aid to independent legal professionals between 2015 and 2023.

Throughout her career, she has represented citizens and activists in both domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights. Recognized as a “Pro Bono Lawyer” in 2016 and a “Golden Paragraph” laureate in 2019, she was also honored as the “Warsaw Woman of the Year” in 2024.

Legal Requirements for the Office

Under Polish law, the Commissioner for Human Rights must be a citizen distinguished by legal knowledge, professional experience, and high moral authority. The appointee is selected by the Sejm with the Senate’s consent, based on a motion from the Sejm Speaker or a group of 35 deputies.

The office is limited to two five-year terms, which commence upon the official taking of the oath before the Sejm.