<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disturbed people’s lives all over the world for many months and it has had a weighty impact on all spheres of life, both in terms of the private sphere of individuals and in relation to the functioning of state institutions, including courts. To protect public health and limit the number of infected citizens, it became necessary for state authorities to introduce emergency measures, some of which resulted in far-reaching restrictions on human rights – and the right to a fair trial was no exception. This article aims at presenting the way in which the Polish judiciary functioned during the pandemic, as well as the main problems related to exercising the right to a fair trial during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a lack of openness of court proceedings, remote hearings and the removal of the collegiality of judicial adjudication in most civil cases.</p>
</abstract>

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disturbed people’s lives all over the world for many months and it has had a weighty impact on all spheres of life, both in terms of the private sphere of individuals and in relation to the functioning of state institutions, including courts. To protect public health and limit the number of infected citizens, it became necessary for state authorities to introduce emergency measures, some of which resulted in far-reaching restrictions on human rights – and the right to a fair trial was no exception. This article aims at presenting the way in which the Polish judiciary functioned during the pandemic, as well as the main problems related to exercising the right to a fair trial during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a lack of openness of court proceedings, remote hearings and the removal of the collegiality of judicial adjudication in most civil cases.

The Right to a Fair Trial and the Administration of Justice in the Polish Judiciary System During the COVID-19 Pandemic

International and Comparative Law Review

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disturbed people’s lives all over the world for many months and it has had a weighty impact on all spheres of life, both in...

The Right to a Fair Trial and the Administration of Justice in the Polish Judiciary System During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Published Online: Feb 05, 2024

Page range: 205 - 222

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/iclr-2023-0021

Keywords
right to a fair trial, administration of justice during the pandemic, Polish judiciary, openness of court proceedings, remote court hearings, COVID-19

© 2023 Magdalena Michalska-Guzik, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Right to a Fair Trial and the Administration of Justice in the Polish Judiciary System During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Published Online: Feb 05, 2024

Page range: 205 - 222

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/iclr-2023-0021

Keywordsright to a fair trial, administration of justice during the pandemic, Polish judiciary, openness of court proceedings, remote court hearings, COVID-19

© 2023 Magdalena Michalska-Guzik, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
right to a fair trial, administration of justice during the pandemic, Polish judiciary, openness of court proceedings, remote court hearings, COVID-19