Karol Nawrocki Issues Three Pardons, Including Piotr Pytel and Adam Borowski

On Monday, August 3, Undersecretary of State Mateusz Kotecki announced that Polish President Karol Nawrocki has issued three presidential pardons following individual case reviews.

Three Presidential Decisions on Pardons

Undersecretary of state in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, Mateusz Kotecki, announced on Monday, August 3, that Karol Nawrocki issued three decisions regarding the application of the right of mercy. The presidential minister stated that the president reviews each case individually after acquainting himself with the case files.

Pardon for Adam Borowski Involving Defamation

The first case involves the remission of a prison sentence. Kotecki stated that the pardoned person committed an offense under Article 212 paragraph 2 of the Penal Code, namely defaming another person using mass media. The presidential minister cited humanitarian reasons in the justification, including the advanced age of the convict, deteriorating health, and the incidental nature of the act, alongside above-average contributions to democratic changes in Poland. It is most likely Adam Borowski, a democratic opposition activist sentenced to six months in prison for defaming lawyer and KO MP Roman Giertych. Borowski was awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 2006 by President Lech Kaczyński, ran for office from PiS lists in subsequent years without being a party member, and was a candidate for the Ombudsman position in 2026, though MPs supported Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram. Borowski also chairs the Gazeta Polska Clubs.

Remission of a Mass Event Ban

The second pardon occurred at the request of the president, where the right of mercy was applied by remitting a penal measure in the form of a ban on entering mass events under Article 54 paragraph 2 point 2 of the Mass Safety Act, along with the expungement of the conviction. Kotecki noted motives such as a positive environmental opinion and the incidental nature of the act.

Piotr Pytel Granted Conditional Release

In the third presidential pardon case, two applications from Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek were examined, with positive opinions issued by both the first and second instance courts. Nawrocki decided to conditionally release the described person from serving the remainder of a life imprisonment sentence for a 5-year probationary period, establishing court probation officer supervision. As confirmed to TVN24 by the convict’s lawyer, this concerns Piotr Pytel, whose case was already intervened in by Żurek in mid-July. Pytel was sentenced in 2006 by a court in Munich to life imprisonment for robbery-murder, but Polish prosecution demonstrated he did not commit the crime. In June, following a decision by the Minister of Justice, Pytel left the penitentiary in Rzeszów.

Overall Statistics on Presidential Pardons

To date, President Nawrocki has applied the right of mercy to seven individuals and refused it to five others.