Consequences of the lack of legality of the state of emergency for the adjudication of petite offences and the imposition of fines for violations of the rigors of the state of emergency (using the example of the prohibition on staying in the area of the state of emergency)
Czasopismo Prawa Karnego i Nauk Penalnych Rok XXVI: 2022, numer 1-2
Journal of Criminal Law and Penal Studies Volume XXVI: 2022, No. 1-2
Joanna Hetnarowicz-Sikora
Full text in PDF (open access)
Keywords
refugees, crisis, offense, Polish-Belarusian border, procedural guarantees, state of emergency, restrictions on rights and freedoms
Summary
The refugee crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border related to the appearance on the
border of a significant number of people who were brought to the territory of Belarus
and then directed to the territory of Poland in an organized manner by Belarusian ser-
vices led to a number of actions by, among others, Polish authorities, the legal aspects
of which required urgent elaboration. This article addresses the issue of consequences of
the lack of legality of the state of emergency for the adjudication of petite offences and
the imposition of fines for violations of the rigors of the state of emergency. The legal
framework for the state of emergency is detailed in the Law of June 21, 2002 on the State
of Emergency. Article 2(1) of the same law specifies that in a situation of particular threat
to the constitutional system of the state, security of citizens or public order, including
that caused by acts of a terrorist nature or acts in cyberspace, which cannot be removed
through the use of ordinary constitutional means, the Council of Ministers may adopt
a resolution to send a request to the President of the Republic for the imposition of a state
of emergency. In the area where a state of emergency has been imposed, restrictions on
human and civil liberties and rights are imposed on all individuals residing or staying
there even temporarily. Of the listed restrictions, the most interesting one for the percep-
tion of rights and freedoms is “the prohibition of staying at designated places, facilities
and areas located in the area covered by the state of emergency during the specified
time.” Analyzing the content of the Council of Ministers Ordinance with regard to the
prohibition on staying in the state of emergency zone, one cannot help but notice that
the scope of the prohibition under the Council of Ministers Ordinance is much broader
than that established by the Presidential Decree.
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