Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram Approved as Poland's New Ombudsman for Human Rights

The Polish Senate has approved Sylwia Gregorczyk-Abram as the new Ombudsman for Human Rights (RPO), with 59 senators voting in favor and 25 against. Her appointment comes as the term of the current ombudsman, Prof. Marcin Wiącek, concludes on July 23. The RPO is appointed by the Sejm (lower house) with the Senate's consent.

“

The RPO office should be a place for dialogue.

Gregorczyk-Abram, nominated by the Civic Coalition and The Left parties, faced competition from Adam Borowski, who was put forward by the Law and Justice party. Before the vote, she addressed the senators, vowing to serve as a defender for all citizens, irrespective of their beliefs or political leanings. "The RPO office should be a place for dialogue," she stated, also outlining plans to enhance the office's accessibility, noting its current limited presence, particularly in eastern Poland.

Drawing on over two decades of human rights advocacy, Gregorczyk-Abram stressed that her experience comes from courtrooms and direct engagement with individuals failed by the state, not just from academic study. She specifically highlighted her intention to combat the issue of excessively long judicial proceedings. "The court is a place where the state makes a special promise of effective protection of citizens' rights. However, this promise is illusory if a citizen has to wait several, even a dozen or so years, for a final ruling," she said, referencing her own cases before the European Court of Human Rights involving victims of childhood sexual abuse waiting 14 to 17 years for justice.

“

For over 20 years, I have been involved in the protection of human rights. I did not learn about it in conferences or from textbooks. I learned about it in courtrooms and during daily meetings with people whom the state has failed.

During the Q&A session, Senator Anna Bogucka of the Law and Justice party questioned Gregorczyk-Abram's ability to gain trust across the political spectrum, given her past political engagement. Gregorczyk-Abram responded that her actions were always in defense of "specific constitutional values" and not aligned with any particular political side, acknowledging that the current polarized environment might lead to such perceptions.

“

The court is a place where the state makes a special promise of effective protection of citizens' rights. However, this promise is illusory if a citizen has to wait several, even a dozen or so years, for a final ruling.

Senator Marek Komorowski, also from Law and Justice, repeatedly asked if Gregorczyk-Abram questioned the status of judges in Poland. She responded by stating she formulates "various claims regarding the protracted nature of court proceedings."

“

For me, it was not involvement on any political side, although I know that in the wave of growing polarization and the fact that everything – even a T-shirt with the constitution or the slogan 'constitution' – is associated politically, it is seen that way.