HRW asks the Polish government to drop the charges against a deputy who marched in favor of abortion

MADRID, 4 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), specialized in monitoring the international humanitarian situation, has asked the Polish authorities to "immediately" drop the charges against MP Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus for marching in favor of abortion and for those who he faces up to four years in jail.

On October 25, 2020, together with her husband, Piotr Wielgus, Scheuring-Wielgus carried a banner at a church in Torun, central Poland, reading "Woman, you can decide for yourself" to protest against a ruling by the Constitutional Court that basically eliminated access to legal abortion in Poland.

In December 2020, the Attorney General, Zbigniew Ziobro, initiated a motion to strip Scheuring-Wielgus of his parliamentary legal immunity for the protest, which ended successfully on November 20.

Finally, last Tuesday, the Torun Prosecutor's Office accused the deputy of the left-wing party Lewica, already without immunity, of "offending religious sentiments" and "malicious interference in religious worship." Each offense carries a penalty of up to two years in prison. She pleaded not guilty. Her husband, accused of the same charges, has been acquitted.

The HRW researcher, Hillary Margolis, has denounced that "the indictment against a deputy for a peaceful protest is an undeniably alarming escalation in the efforts of the Polish government to criminalize not only abortion but anyone who openly supports reproductive rights.

HRW reminds that abortion is now only allowed in Poland to safeguard the life or health of a woman or if the pregnancy is the result of a crime, such as rape or incest.

In practice, however, multiple barriers make it nearly impossible for people who can ask for a legal abortion to end up getting it, according to the organization.

"Evidence consistently shows that laws that restrict or criminalize abortion do not eliminate it, but rather encourage people to seek abortion through means that can put their mental and physical health at risk and diminish their autonomy and dignity." regrets the NGO.

The Polish government must drop trumped-up charges against Scheuring-Wielgus and other LGBT and women's rights activists, and reverse course to ensure access to safe, legal abortion and other essential reproductive health services, Human Rights Watch said.