Gdansk Equality Award

Judge Dorota Zabludowska from Gdansk, one of the most known defenders of democratic values in Poland, member of Polish Judges Association Iustitia, was honoured by the late President of Gdansk Pawel Adamowicz the Gdansk Equality Award for her struggle to maintain the independence of judiciary. She was chosen for the award by an independent body consisting of members of Gdansk Council for Equal Treatment.
The President of Gdansk was not a member of this body. Judge Zabłudowska passed the financial part of the award to charity as she declared on the night it was granted. Pawel Adamowicz had a criminal case concerning inaccuracies in his financial statements in the court where judge Zabłudowska works but she had no contact whatsoever with the case as it was in another department. After a while the disciplinary prosecutor started proceedings in connection with acceptance of the Equality Award. Now in his statement on his website and in a letter to the Ombudsman he wrotes that judge Zabłudowska accepted financial gratification from a defendant, without mentioning that the actual case concerned the Gdansk Equality Award and that the award was donated to charity. Judge Zabłudowska finds this information as libel misleading the public opinion and demands correction of the facts.

Statement from Judge Zabłudowska