Human rights in Poland
Encyclopedia
Human rights in Poland are guaranteed by the second chapter of the Constitution of Poland
. Poland is part to all important international agreements relevant to human rights
. Death Penalty is abolished for all crimes and Poland has ratified the International Criminal Court
agreement. in general knowledge human rights have vastly improved after the fall of communism in 1989 and replacement of the old repressive regime with the modern, democratic government guaranteeing first class civil and political rights, according to the Freedom House.
Poland is a party of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
, the Helsinki Accords
, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
and the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Professor of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Asheville Poland was among countries with highest level of human rights
Freedom House Research Institute has classified Poland as a country of first class political and civil rights.
Constitution of Poland
The current Constitution of Poland was adopted on 2 April 1997. Formally known as the Constitution of the Republic of Poland , it replaced the temporary amendments put into place in 1992 designed to reverse the effects of Communism, establishing the nation as "a democratic state ruled by law and...
. Poland is part to all important international agreements relevant to human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. Death Penalty is abolished for all crimes and Poland has ratified the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
agreement. in general knowledge human rights have vastly improved after the fall of communism in 1989 and replacement of the old repressive regime with the modern, democratic government guaranteeing first class civil and political rights, according to the Freedom House.
Poland is a party of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
, the Helsinki Accords
Helsinki Accords
thumb|300px|[[Erich Honecker]] and [[Helmut Schmidt]] in Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe held in Helsinki 1975....
, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from March 23, 1976...
, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from January 3, 1976...
and the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Convention on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children...
Opinions of other governments
A 2010 report by United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor noted that "[Polish] government generally respects the human rights of its citizens"; it did however note problems, mainly police misconduct, lengthy pretrial detention, laws that restricted free speech (although rarely enforced), corruption in the government and society.Opinions of NGOs
According to the report Political Terror Scale 2006 is generated by Mark Gibney, Belk DistinguishedProfessor of Political Science, University of North Carolina at Asheville Poland was among countries with highest level of human rights
Freedom House Research Institute has classified Poland as a country of first class political and civil rights.
External links
- Human Rights Watch: news related to Poland
- Amnesty International: news related to Poland Amnesty International Polska
- PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN POLAND (Polish government affiliated site), Polish language version
- Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights in Poland
- Cecylia Bernacka, Human Rights in Poland
- Thomas Bamforth, Democratisation, economic reform and human rights in Poland –. conflict or consonance?
- Review of Poland by the United Nations Human Rights CouncilUnited Nations Human Rights CouncilThe United Nations Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations System. The UNHRC is the successor to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights , and is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly...
's Universal Periodic Review, April 14, 2008
Further reading
- Agnieszka Bieńczyk-Missala, Human Rights in Polish Foreign Policy after 1989, Warszawa 2006, ISBN 83-89607-46-8, http://www.pism.pl/ksiazki_content/id/55
- James E. Will, Church and State in the Struggle for Human Rights in Poland, Journal of Law and Religion, Vol. 2, No. 1 (1984), pp. 153–176 (article consists of 24 pages), JSTOR
See also
- Capital punishment in PolandCapital punishment in PolandCapital punishment remained in Polish law until April 1, 1998, but from 1989 there was a moratorium on executions, with the last execution taking place one year earlier...
- Law enforcement in PolandLaw enforcement in PolandLaw enforcement in Poland consists of the police force, independent judiciary, prosecutors , and smaller, specialized formations.-Pre 20th Century:...