Judge Zygmunt Drożdżejko, who spoke on Telewizja wPoland, recalled that part of the reason behind his resignation as President of the Kraków Court of Appeal was his membership in the independent Association of Judges of the Republic of Poland. Drożdżejko acknowledged that he did not expect Adam Bodnar, a former human rights commissioner, to respond as he did.
READ ALSO: ONLY WITH US. Bodnar violates civil rights! It denies a judge the right to join a legal association
When the judge read the official rationale for his removal, he was stunned. To date, no Minister of Justice had denied judges the right to associate. The principle had always been respected, even as some associations issued strong criticisms of the government. Yet no judge had ever been dismissed simply for such membership.
– said Judge Zygmunt Drożdżejko, former President of the Kraków Court of Appeal and a member of the Association of Judges of the Republic of Poland.
READ ALSO: ONLY WITH US. Bodnar violates civil rights! It denies a judge the right to join a legal association
Strikingly, the association he belonged to holds a different view on the changes within the legal system compared with two other judges’ associations, Iustitia and Themis. He added that Deputy Minister of Justice Dariusz Mazur is affiliated with Themis, a group known for its highly political stance. Mazur had been closely involved in opposition activities within the courts, Drożdżejko noted.
– argued Judge Drożdżejko.
Bodnar’s hypocrisy
Drożdżejko also touched on what he described as Adam Bodnar’s hypocrisy. He argued that during Bodnar’s tenure as Commissioner for Human Rights, Bodnar often defended judges who joined associations, whereas the only pressure those judges faced was public criticism of their affiliations. The issue was particularly acute for judges who participated in meetings and events backed by the then opposition.
I am deeply taken aback by this. When I learned that Mr. Bodnar would become Minister of Justice, I believed that, as former Ombudsman, civil rights would be guarded with utmost seriousness. Opinions within the community varied, but the expectation remained that civil rights would be protected by someone with Bodnar’s background. The reality proved otherwise.
– admitted Judge Zygmunt Drożdżejko.
The judge also suggested that it was unwise for Adam Bodnar to publish certain remarks in the daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita, noting that his own publications appeared at a time when he was not yet President of the Kraków Court of Appeal.
When Drożdżejko later became president of SA Kraków, he decided to refrain from media appearances and stated that he would not seek a formal position within the association. The move reflected his belief that public commentary should be tempered as responsibilities within the judiciary evolve.
– said Judge Zygmunt Drożdżejko.