The impact of the Law and Justice Party's rule on human rights standards in Poland

This research analyzes the regression of human rights standards in Poland and the underlying processes, particularly in the context of rights violations as defined by the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It is based on reports from international public institutions and international observatories. Despite a broad spectrum of academic work on the categorization of human rights violations, there is a recognized need for a detailed examination of these violations through reports from internationally recognized human rights organizations. This study aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of human rights violations in Poland between 2004-2023, using document review methodology. The research examines the progress in human rights during Poland's EU accession process between 2004-2015 and the subsequent regression in the context of rights defined by the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights following the rise to power of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) in 2015. In this vein, the study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the human rights situation in Poland, contributing to the academic and political discussions in this field.