Poland

The government continues to undermine the rule of law and human rights protection and introduce new laws that curb free expression and assembly. Peaceful protesters face prosecution and nongovernmental groups harassment. A draft law to restrict abortion is pending at time of writing. The European Commission is continuing its action against Poland over rule of law concerns using a system designed to address rights-threatening measures by EU states. Polish border guards routinely deny access to asylum at the Belarus-Poland border and summarily return asylum seekers to Belarus. Criminal investigations into a secret CIA detention program on Polish territory are stalled.