visiting such establishments may also scan a QR code on the poster which allows mobile phone users
to access the website devoted to the social campaign where one can learn, among other things, how
to respond to torture or other forms of ill-treatment. Additionally, the National Headquarters of the
Prison Service received from the NMPT printed posters with contact details of the National Mechanism
for the Prevention of Torture and the Commissioner for Human Rights. The Prison Service has placed
those materials on informational boards on every prison ward and pre-trial detention centre in Poland.
Only by undertaking joint actions can we influence the change in the social attitude towards
the problem of inflicting pain and torture in places in which one would normally never expect
such things to occur.
Priest Ryszard Pieron, “Zwiastun Ewangelicki” no. 12 of 30 June 2019
The representatives of the NMPT promoted the idea of the campaign by means of media channels, giving interviews on the radio and television and preparing press articles which were later published, for instance, in the supplement to the „Rzeczpospolita” daily called Rzecz o prawie. The NMPT
wanted the campaign to reach as many people as possible. For this reason, attempts were made to
also interest the authorities of the Polish public television as well as representatives of churches in
that topic. Regrettably, neither the public television nor the representatives of the Catholic Church
expressed any willingness to cooperate in that regard. Yet, what should be emphasized is the role
of the representatives of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church who joined the campaign State without
torture. They were propagating the idea of torture prevention among their followers during services
and in the “Zwiastun Ewangelicki” periodical.
It is unacceptable that in the public discourse we can hear statements claiming that foreigners bring diseases. It is unbecoming and dangerous. Therefore, internal education is of such
importance – we need to raise the awareness and sensitize officers of particular services who
come in contact with foreigners to that issue.
Hanna Machińska, Ph.D., deputy CHR
Under the campaign in April 2019 a discussion panel Homo Homini Lupus est: Individuals with PTSD in
closed detention centres for migrants was held in the Office of the CHR. Invited panelists included: Ala Elczewska – traumatologist, on a daily basis cooperating with the Danish Institute Against Torture ‘Dignity’. In her speech she talked about working with people who experienced torture and the Post-traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD). Conclusions from visiting Polish closed detention centres for migrants were
presented by Marcin Kusy – deputy director of the NMPT and Ewa Kownacka – NMPT expert. Maria
Książak from the International Humanitarian Initiative described the perspective of non-governmental
organizations which provide assistance to torture victims. Col. Iwona Przybyłowicz and lieut. Małgorzata Proszek from the department for foreigners of the Headquarters of the Border Guard discussed
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PART II – How does the nmpt work?
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