Logo Polskiego Radia

Watchdog says surveillance powers in Poland too broad

PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk 10.06.2016 14:24
The Venice Commission, an international watchdog, on Friday said the surveillance powers of Polish police and law enforcement agencies are "too broad".
Photo: pixabay.comPhoto: pixabay.com

Adopting a report on a law which came into force in Poland in February, the Commission, an advisory group to rights body the Council of Europe, recommended Warsaw should introduce extra checks on police surveillance powers.

The Venice Commission said Polish rules on covert surveillance "in some respects are still insufficient to prevent excessive use and unjustified interference with individual privacy."

The Commission did, however, note that the recent changes to the law on the Polish police were adopted following recommendations by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal in 2014.

The new rules have sparked street protests in Poland, but the conservative Law and Justice government has denied that the measures limit law-abiding citizens’ freedom on the internet.

Politicians from Poland’s opposition Civic Platform party say the new law violates civil liberties.

The rules have also come under fire from Poland’s Commissioner for Human Rights, the Inspector General for Personal Data Protection, legal bodies and non-governmental organizations. (pk)

Source: PAP

Print
Copyright © Polskie Radio S.A About Us Contact Us