Statement of Helsinki Committee in Poland in case of Mariusz T.

“The case of Mariusz T. is a test for Poland as a state ruled by law. It will show if and to what extent we do not agree for laws to be applied retrospectively, as opposed to the fundamental principle of law, and how much we are opposed to detaining a person who has already served their sentence for whatever reason there might be”, reads the statement of the Helsinki Committee in Poland published last week.

The members of the Committee stress that the crime perpetrated by Mariusz T. is appalling. Still they believe that principles of the state ruled by law must be applied to all without exceptions.

“If even a person guilty of a horrendous crime can rely on them, an ordinary citizen should feel all the more secure in their dealings with public authorities. Each and every consent to abuse of fundamental rules becomes, in turn, a dangerous precedent and may cause temptation to repeat such actions in other situations”, wrote the Committee’s members.