The Judges of Poland, an association among national judges, have adopted a resolution in support of freedom of expression. The following text presents the full content of that resolution.
National Association of Judges “Judges of Poland,” based in Kraków and dedicated to the well-being of the legal system, upholds the principle of apoliticity. Guided by concern for the democratic foundations of the state and the protection of freedom of expression as guaranteed by the Constitution, the association voices worry about threats to media pluralism.
Figures in the resolution emphasize the importance of safeguarding media diversity and the need to defend against actions that undermine pluralism in public communication channels.
In light of recent events affecting public media, the association stresses that freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. Every citizen holds the right to share views, even when those views are controversial within the media landscape, and this right should not be curtailed or restricted in any form.
“All legal disputes should be resolved through lawful proceedings.”
The association asserts that all legal disagreements ought to be settled in courts before independent judges, in accordance with applicable laws: Article 27 and 28 of the Broadcasting Act of December 29, 1992 (as consolidated through 2022, item 1722, with amendments); Articles 8 and 9 of the Act on the Polish Press Agency (Journal of Laws, No. 107, item 687, as amended); the Act of 22 June 2016 on the National Media Council (consolidated Journal of Laws of 2021, item 692); and not through extralegal actions.
The resolution also draws attention to a recent Constitutional Court decision that instructed authorities to refrain from altering the management structures of public media.
It highlights the ruling of the Constitutional Court dated December 14, 2023, in case K 29/23 regarding the granting of security, which ordered no changes to the composition of the bodies overseeing public radio and television broadcasters in response to a request by members of the Sejm for an investigation into compliance with the broadcasting law.
The association notes that any actions not grounded in legal provisions pose a risk to national internal security and, above all, erode the credibility of the Polish state on the international stage as a constitutional democracy.
For the sake of core values such as human life, health, and the dignity of every person, the association calls on people to express their opinions with restraint and to refrain from using physical force to settle disputes. It also opposes removing historically significant programs and materials from public media sources. Such removals amount to censorship, which is unacceptable in a democratic country.
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