Polish Ombudsman
Encyclopedia
The Polish Ombudsman
is an independent central office of the Republic of Poland
. The office was first established on January 1, 1988. Its functioning is regulated by the Constitution
and an act of Polish parliament (Sejm
) from July 15, 1987. The office is accredited as Poland's national human rights institution.
with four responsibilities with respect to citizen rights:
The ombudsman, deputies and the office protect freedom and rights of the people. They monitor current events. In case they find that due to intentional actions (or lack thereof) by agencies, organizations or institutions which are duty bound to respect freedoms and rights of the people, these freedoms and rights were violated, they undertake action. In such cases, they can act on behalf of the people in courts. The office can undertake such actions only if a thorough analysis of the situation shows that the rights or the freedoms of the people were infringed, and only if such analysis recognizes the need for the ombudsman to be involved in a case. The people have right to ask the ombudsman for intervention.
List of Polish Ombudsmen:
Dr Kochanowski died in office, as a result of the Smolensk air disaster
.
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
is an independent central office of the Republic of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. The office was first established on January 1, 1988. Its functioning is regulated by the Constitution
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...
and an act of Polish parliament (Sejm
Sejm
The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
) from July 15, 1987. The office is accredited as Poland's national human rights institution.
Responsibilities and powers of the Polish Ombudsman
Polish law entrusts the ombudsmanOmbudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
with four responsibilities with respect to citizen rights:
- prevention
- diagnosis
- monitoring
- creativity
The ombudsman, deputies and the office protect freedom and rights of the people. They monitor current events. In case they find that due to intentional actions (or lack thereof) by agencies, organizations or institutions which are duty bound to respect freedoms and rights of the people, these freedoms and rights were violated, they undertake action. In such cases, they can act on behalf of the people in courts. The office can undertake such actions only if a thorough analysis of the situation shows that the rights or the freedoms of the people were infringed, and only if such analysis recognizes the need for the ombudsman to be involved in a case. The people have right to ask the ombudsman for intervention.
Election, recall and term of office
- The ombudsman is elected by an act of SejmSejmThe Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
and has to be accepted by the SenateSenate of PolandThe Senate is the upper house of the Polish parliament, the lower house being the 'Sejm'. The history of the Polish Senate is rich in tradition and stretches back over 500 years, it was one of the first constituent bodies of a bicameral parliament in Europe and existed without hiatus until the...
. - The term of office is five years long and the same person cannot hold the office more than twice.
- SejmSejmThe Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament. The Sejm is made up of 460 deputies, or Poseł in Polish . It is elected by universal ballot and is presided over by a speaker called the Marshal of the Sejm ....
has the right to recall the ombudsman with 3/5 majority before the end of term.
List of Polish Ombudsmen:
- Ewa Łętowska (November 19, 1987 - February 12, 1992)
- Tadeusz Zieliński (February 13, 1992 - May 7, 1996)
- Adam Zieliński (May 8, 1996 - June 29, 2000)
- Andrzej ZollAndrzej ZollAndrzej Stanisław Zoll – Polish lawyer, former judge and president of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal, former Polish Ombudsman, former president of the State Electoral Commission, former president of the Legislative Council, co-author of the Polish Penal Code of 1997...
(June 30, 2000 - January 27, 2006) - Janusz KochanowskiJanusz KochanowskiJanusz Bogumił Kochanowski was a Polish lawyer, diplomat, and the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection of the Republic of Poland .-Life and career:...
(January 27, 2006 - April 10, 2010) - Irena Lipowicz (July 21, 2010 - )
Dr Kochanowski died in office, as a result of the Smolensk air disaster
2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash
The 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash occurred on 10 April 2010, when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed near the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board...
.