I expect the attacks to intensify, because Poland makes a sovereign decision and does not want to sing in the choir

The law in Poland guarantees the protection of women from violence, the prosecution and punishment of the perpetrators, so this is a propaganda game: the Istanbul Convention equals protection of women. Women can be protected by national law without the Istanbul Convention

– says Ryszard Czarnecki, PiS MEP, to the wPolityce.pl portal.

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wPolityce.pl: The Secretary General of the Council of Europe stated that Poland should not withdraw from the Istanbul Convention. She added that “it would be regrettable and a great step backwards in protecting women from violence in Europe”, she added. How would you answer that?

Ryszard Czarnecki: Poland is a sovereign country. He makes decisions on his own territory, not asking anyone.

The law in Poland guarantees the protection of women against violence, the prosecution and punishment of the perpetrators, so this is a propaganda trick: the Istanbul Convention equals protection of women. Women can be protected by national law without the Istanbul Convention.

I think there are a number of countries in the Council of Europe that have real problems with respecting women’s rights, and it would be good if the Secretary General would take care of this.

Is there any European or international institution that could stop Poland from denouncing the Istanbul Convention?

No. This is a decision of the Polish authorities, not the European Council, the Council of Europe or any other international body.

What type of attacks should I expect? Because you can see that these liberal-leftist circles are slowly starting to panic.

Just. I expect these attacks to intensify, because Poland takes a sovereign decision in this matter and does not want to sing in a choir. I would like to point out that the defenders of the Istanbul Convention are often ideologically motivated, and we – substantively. We really want to protect women’s rights, protect them from violence, and not just use the Istanbul Convention for our ideological purposes.

Are there pressures on Polish MEPs in this matter at the moment?

I have not encountered something like this personally, but I expect that this type of pressure may arise in autumn.

Thank you for the conversation.

Anna Wiejak interviewed

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