POLAND: PROSECUTING ACTIVIST ACCUSED OF AIDING ABORTION ‘SETS A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT’

In November 2021, the prosecutor charged human rights defender Justyna Wydrzyńska with “helping with an abortion” and “possession of medicines without authorization for the purpose of introducing them into the market”

Charges against an activist facing up to three years in prison accused of helping a pregnant woman access abortion pills in Poland must be dropped, said Amnesty International today ahead of the resumption of her trial in Warsaw tomorrow.

In November 2021, the prosecutor charged human rights defender Justyna Wydrzyńska with “helping with an abortion” and “possession of medicines without authorization for the purpose of introducing them into the market”.

“Charging Justyna Wydrzyńska sets a dangerous precedent in Poland and sends a chilling message not only to those in need of safe abortions but also the people who support them in accessing care,” said Monica Costa Riba, Amnesty International’s Senior Women’s Rights Campaigner.

“No one should be criminalized, let alone prosecuted, for helping someone to get a safe abortion, which is a basic healthcare that women, girls and all pregnant people are entitled to receive under international human rights law. All charges against Justyna should be dropped”.