Results of the 2016 research conducted by Centrum Badania Opinii Społecznej indicate that many Poles have little knowledge about the rule of law. At the same time, in 2020 Poland fell in the Polska Freedom House ranking to the category of semi-consolidated democracies and it has been listed by the VICE magazine among 30 countries abusing the coronavirus pandemic situation to achieve its own political agenda and to limit or violate citizens’ rights. The World Economic Forum research (2017-2018) results show that Poland compares unfavourably to other countries regarding judicial independence of political influence. Unfortunately, our observations show that neither the Ministry of Justice nor any other public institution engages in any educational activities in the area of rule of law, human rights, or the reform and changes in the judicial system.
We will address these problems by organising nationwide workshops with the elements of a debate for people with different views to discuss law as a common value. Participants will work on the vision of modern courts and will talk to judges about their independence, honesty, and transparency. Most active attendees will create local PWS (Praworządność Wspólna Sprawa) clubs inviting other people interested in this topic to cyclic debates on the rule of law and the judicial system reform. Based on talks and workshops, we will gather conclusions and visions and will publish them as grassroot, citizen-generated recommendations on the judiciary in Poland. We will issue a guide for educators and parents on how to talk, educate and engage local communities in the topic of the rule of law, human rights, and judiciary.
Our partner is the ‘Samorządy dla Polski’ Association gathering individuals engaged in local authorities in the entire Poland and having experience in promoting principles of democracy and development of the civic society. They will support us in promoting our initiative and organisation of workshops.