Letter from the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, to Mr Marek Kuchciński, Speaker of the Parliament of Poland, concerning the proposed reform of the National Council for the Judiciary

The Commissioner calls on the Polish Parliament to reject the amendments to the Act on the National Council for the Judiciary because they would encroach upon the independence of the judiciary.

By giving Parliament the authority to select the judges who sit on the National Council for the Judiciary, the amendments would provide the executive and legislative powers with a decisive role in the appointment of judges in Poland.

“In order to preserve the principles of the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, the selection of members of the judiciary should be a decision process wholly independent of the government, so as to stave off the risk of any undue political influence”.

Full text of the letter below.