Supreme Court: New bill on public gatherings unconstitutional

Poland’s Supreme Court issued an opinion which states that the draft bill on public gatherings is unconstitutional and in contrast with the rules of international law. According to Supreme Court judges it meets “the criteria of the state of emergency” and severely curbs the individual’s rights, while breaking numerous articles of the Polish constitution. The main takeaways from the draft include priority for Catholic Church and the government to organize such gatherings and the right for “government organizations” to block any gatherings. Moreover, it bans counter-rallies from taking place in the same place as public assemblies. Several NGOs, including Amnesty International have protested the new draft, which will now be debated in the Senate.