Poland: Human Rights

Poland is a republic with a multi-party democracy. The bicameral parliament consists of an upper house, the Senate (Senat), and a lower house (Sejm). The president, the prime minister, and the council of ministers share executive power. Observers considered the parliamentary elections in 2011 free and fair. Prime Minister Donald Tusk, leader of the Civic Platform Party, governed in a coalition with a smaller political party. Authorities maintained effective control over the security forces. Security forces did not commit human rights abuses. Among the country's principal human rights problems were an inefficient judicial system and lengthy court procedures, which impeded the delivery of justice. Xenophobic and racist incidents increased, including hate crimes involving arson and cases of anti-Semitism. Local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) noted that the government's methods for tracking hate crimes improved, but police investigations of cases involving anti-Semitic and xenophobic acts often did not lead to the apprehension of perpetrators. Criminal defamation laws restricted freedom of speech and press by discouraging speech, publications, and material on the internet critical of public officials. Other human rights problems included abuse of prisoners by guards, compulsory chemical castration of some convicted sex offenders, and at times inadequate cell space in detention centers. Delays in the restitution of private property continued. The law allows law enforcement agencies to have broad access to data, but government monitoring of telephone locations and call logs decreased from the previous year. Official corruption remained a problem, despite enforcement efforts. Burdensome procedures discouraged appropriate classification and treatment of domestic violence as a crime. Societal problems included discrimination against women in the labor market, abuse and sexual exploitation of children, trafficking in persons, and discrimination and violence against ethnic minorities as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons. Violations of workers' rights to organize and join unions and to strike, as well as antiunion discrimination also occurred.