PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 50399/07) against the Republic of Poland lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by a Polish national, Mr Kazimierz Górny (“the applicant”), on 8 November 2007.

The Polish Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mr J. Wołąsiewicz of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The applicant alleged, in particular, that the lustration proceedings had been unfair, in breach of Article 6 of the Convention.

On 20 January 2009 the President of the Fourth Section decided to give notice of the application to the Government. It was also decided to examine the merits of the application at the same time as its admissibility (Article 29 § 3).

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant was born in 1956 and lives in Katowice.

On 11 April 1997 the parliament passed the Law on disclosing work for or service in the State's security services or collaboration with them between 1944 and 1990 by persons exercising public functions (ustawa o ujawnieniu pracy lub służby w organach bezpieczeństwa państwa lub współpracy z nimi w latach 1944-1990 osób pełniących funkcje publiczne; “the 1997 Lustration Act”). It entered into force on 3 August 1997. Persons falling under the provisions of the 1997 Lustration Act, i.e. candidates or holders of public office such as ministers and members of parliament, were required to declare whether or not they had worked for or collaborated with the security services during the communist regime. The provisions of the Act extended to, inter alia, judges, prosecutors and advocates.

In December 1998 the applicant, who was an advocate, declared that he had not collaborated with the communist-era security services.

On 30 March 2004 the Commissioner of Public Interest (Rzecznik Interesu Publicznego) informed the applicant that he had doubts as to the truthfulness of his lustration declaration and invited him for an interview on 19 April 2004.

On 12 May 2004 the Commissioner dismissed the applicant's request for access to the case file.

On 8 December 2004 the Commissioner applied to the Warsaw Court of Appeal (Sąd Apelacyjny) to institute lustration proceedings against the applicant on the grounds that he had lied in his lustration declaration by denying that he had collaborated with the secret services.

On 20 December 2004 the Warsaw Court of Appeal decided to allow the Commissioner's request and instituted lustration proceedings against the applicant. The applicant was informed that he could consult the case file in the secret registry of the Court of Appeal.

On 9 March 2005 the Warsaw Court of Appeal, acting as the first‑instance lustration court, found that between 1987 and 1989 the applicant had been an intentional and secret collaborator with the Security Service and had therefore submitted an untrue lustration declaration.

The applicant lodged an appeal in which he maintained, in particular, that the lustration proceedings had been in breach of the Resolution 1096 (1996) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. He also complained that the Commissioner had applied to the court to institute the lustration proceedings after the expiry of the time-limit of six months, calculated from the date he had notified the applicant about his doubts regarding the truthfulness of his declaration.

On 10 January 2006 the Warsaw Court of Appeal, acting as the second‑instance lustration court, upheld the impugned judgment. In particular the court established that the time-limit had been of a non‑binding nature and its expiry had not precluded the institution of the proceedings.

The applicant lodged a cassation appeal against the judgment. On 22 May 2007 the Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy) dismissed his cassation appeal.

The applicant was removed from the Bar Association with the result that he is unable to practise as an advocate for a period of ten years in application of the 1997 Lustration Act.
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e1
001-99180_a4_em1
CODE
DIRECT
50399/07
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-99180_a4_e2
001-99180_a4_em2
ORG
NO_MASK
Republic of Poland
ETHNIC
insert
001-99180_a4_e3
001-99180_a4_em3
DEM
NO_MASK
Polish national
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e4
001-99180_a4_em4
PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Kazimierz Górny
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e5
001-99180_a4_em5
DATETIME
QUASI
8 November 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a4_e6
001-99180_a4_em6
ORG
NO_MASK
Polish Government
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e7
001-99180_a4_em7
PERSON
NO_MASK
Mr J. Wołąsiewicz
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a4_e8
001-99180_a4_em8
ORG
NO_MASK
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e9
001-99180_a4_em9
DATETIME
QUASI
20 January 2009
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e10
001-99180_a4_em10
DATETIME
QUASI
1956
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e11
001-99180_a4_em11
LOC
QUASI
Katowice
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e12
001-99180_a4_em12
DATETIME
QUASI
11 April 1997
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a4_e13
001-99180_a4_em13
MISC
QUASI
Law on disclosing work for or service in the State's security services or collaboration with them between 1944 and 1990 by persons exercising public functions (ustawa o ujawnieniu pracy lub służby w organach bezpieczeństwa państwa lub współpracy z nimi w latach 1944-1990 osób pełniących funkcje publiczne; “the 1997 Lustration Act”)
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e14
001-99180_a4_em14
DATETIME
QUASI
3 August 1997
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a4_e13
001-99180_a4_em15
MISC
QUASI
001-99180_a4_em13
1997 Lustration Act
POLITICS
insert
001-99180_a4_e15
001-99180_a4_em16
MISC
QUASI
had worked for or collaborated with the security services during the communist regime
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e16
001-99180_a4_em17
DATETIME
QUASI
December 1998
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a4_e17
001-99180_a4_em18
DEM
QUASI
advocate
POLITICS
insert
001-99180_a4_e18
001-99180_a4_em19
MISC
QUASI
not collaborated with the communist-era security services.
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e19
001-99180_a4_em20
DATETIME
QUASI
30 March 2004
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a4_e20
001-99180_a4_em21
ORG
NO_MASK
Commissioner of Public Interest (Rzecznik Interesu Publicznego)
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e21
001-99180_a4_em22
DATETIME
QUASI
19 April 2004
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e22
001-99180_a4_em23
DATETIME
QUASI
12 May 2004
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a4_e20
001-99180_a4_em24
ORG
NO_MASK
001-99180_a4_em21
Commissioner
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e23
001-99180_a4_em25
DATETIME
QUASI
8 December 2004
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e20
001-99180_a4_em26
ORG
NO_MASK
Commissioner
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a4_e24
001-99180_a4_em27
ORG
NO_MASK
Warsaw Court of Appeal (Sąd Apelacyjny)
POLITICS
insert
001-99180_a4_e25
001-99180_a4_em28
MISC
QUASI
lustration declaration by denying that he had collaborated with the secret services.
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e26
001-99180_a4_em29
DATETIME
QUASI
20 December 2004
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a4_e27
001-99180_a4_em30
ORG
NO_MASK
Warsaw Court of Appeal
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e20
001-99180_a4_em31
ORG
NO_MASK
Commissioner
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a4_e24
001-99180_a4_em32
ORG
NO_MASK
001-99180_a4_em27
Court of Appeal
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e28
001-99180_a4_em33
DATETIME
QUASI
9 March 2005
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e27
001-99180_a4_em34
ORG
NO_MASK
Warsaw Court of Appeal
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e29
001-99180_a4_em35
DATETIME
QUASI
between 1987 and 1989
POLITICS
insert
001-99180_a4_e30
001-99180_a4_em36
MISC
QUASI
intentional and secret collaborator
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e31
001-99180_a4_em37
ORG
QUASI
Security Service
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e20
001-99180_a4_em38
ORG
NO_MASK
Commissioner
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e32
001-99180_a4_em39
DATETIME
NO_MASK
six months
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e33
001-99180_a4_em40
DATETIME
QUASI
10 January 2006
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e27
001-99180_a4_em41
ORG
NO_MASK
Warsaw Court of Appeal
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e34
001-99180_a4_em42
DATETIME
QUASI
22 May 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a4_e35
001-99180_a4_em43
ORG
NO_MASK
Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy)
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e36
001-99180_a4_em44
ORG
NO_MASK
Bar Association
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e17
001-99180_a4_em45
DEM
QUASI
advocate
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a4_e13
001-99180_a4_em46
MISC
QUASI
1997 Lustration Act
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e1
001-99180_a6_em1
CODE
DIRECT
50399/07
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-99180_a6_e2
001-99180_a6_em2
ORG
NO_MASK
Republic of Poland
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e3
001-99180_a6_em3
DEM
QUASI
Polish
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e4
001-99180_a6_em4
PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Kazimierz Górny
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e5
001-99180_a6_em5
DATETIME
QUASI
8 November 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-99180_a6_e3
001-99180_a6_em6
ORG
NO_MASK
Polish
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e6
001-99180_a6_em7
PERSON
QUASI
Mr J. Wołąsiewicz
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e7
001-99180_a6_em8
DATETIME
QUASI
20 January 2009
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e8
001-99180_a6_em9
DATETIME
QUASI
1956
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e9
001-99180_a6_em10
LOC
QUASI
Katowice
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e10
001-99180_a6_em11
DATETIME
QUASI
11 April 1997
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e11
001-99180_a6_em12
DATETIME
QUASI
between 1944 and 1990
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e12
001-99180_a6_em13
DATETIME
QUASI
3 August 1997
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e13
001-99180_a6_em14
DATETIME
QUASI
December 1998
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e14
001-99180_a6_em15
DATETIME
QUASI
30 March 2004
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e15
001-99180_a6_em16
DATETIME
QUASI
19 April 2004
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e16
001-99180_a6_em17
DATETIME
QUASI
12 May 2004
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e17
001-99180_a6_em18
DATETIME
QUASI
8 December 2004
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a6_e18
001-99180_a6_em19
ORG
QUASI
Warsaw Court of Appeal (Sąd Apelacyjny)
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e19
001-99180_a6_em20
DATETIME
QUASI
20 December 2004
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a6_e18
001-99180_a6_em21
ORG
QUASI
001-99180_a6_em19
Warsaw Court of Appeal
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e20
001-99180_a6_em22
DATETIME
QUASI
9 March 2005
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e18
001-99180_a6_em23
ORG
QUASI
Warsaw Court of Appeal
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e21
001-99180_a6_em24
DATETIME
QUASI
between 1987 and 1989
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e22
001-99180_a6_em25
ORG
NO_MASK
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e23
001-99180_a6_em26
DATETIME
QUASI
10 January 2006
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e18
001-99180_a6_em27
ORG
QUASI
Warsaw Court of Appeal
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e24
001-99180_a6_em28
DATETIME
QUASI
22 May 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-99180_a6_e25
001-99180_a6_em29
ORG
NO_MASK
Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy)
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e26
001-99180_a6_em30
ORG
NO_MASK
Bar Association
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-99180_a6_e27
001-99180_a6_em31
DATETIME
QUASI
period of ten years
Kazimierz Górny
POL
CHAMBER
Task: Annotate the document to anonymise the following person: Kazimierz Górny