Poland

The government undermines the independence of the judiciary and has used a politically-compromised Constitutional Tribunal to effectively ban access to legal abortion. Government officials smear critical journalists and LGBT rights activists. Women’s and LGBT groups face threats and harassment and many local governments continue to label themselves as “LGBT Ideology Free Zones”. Poland admitted millions of people fleeing Ukraine, however border officials push back migrants and asylum seekers crossing from Belarus. Several people died in the woods around the Poland-Belarus border. A state of emergency prevented media access to the Belarus border. A rise in reported cases of domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown highlighted the state failure to support prevention, adequate services and an appropriate police response.