Today in Brussels, during a meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs (LIBE), a debate took place with the participation of Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, during which MEP Mariusz Kamiński spoke.
Mariusz Kamiński agreed with O’Flaherty’s statement that “human rights cannot be overlooked.” “That is why I have a fundamental question for you: why do you not see what has been happening in my country, Poland, for the past year and a half? Right before your eyes, a brutal regime is emerging that violates the rule of law and human rights,” said the PiS MEP.
According to the Polish politician, “it is an unprecedented situation that in the heart of Europe, in a member state of the Council of Europe, the problem of political prisoners and the use of torture against them is returning—just as it was during the communist dictatorship.”
“Commissioner, have you familiarized yourself with the complaints currently being heard by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg regarding the use of torture in my country?” the MEP asked. “You have a duty to defend the rights of European citizens regardless of their political views,” Kamiński told the commissioner.
The Polish politician also referred to one of the commissioner’s priorities: defending media independence. “Are you familiar with the situation of independent media in Poland? Do you know that opposition media are not allowed to attend press conferences held by government officials?” the MEP asked, emphasizing that this had also occurred during crisis situations such as the flood.
Mariusz Kamiński urged Commissioner Michael O’Flaherty to work closely with the Polish Ombudsman, whose reports are deeply troubling. “Please do not turn a blind eye; human rights apply to all citizens, regardless of their political views,” Mariusz Kamiński urged.
