Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Freethinker

Home
Nonreligious
Three Polish women face jail over ‘blasphemous’ Virgin Mary image

Three Polish women face jail over ‘blasphemous’ Virgin Mary image

Last updated on: January 12, 2021 at 10:46 pm by Barry Duke

Three Polish women face jail over ‘blasphemous’ Virgin Mary image 2021-01-12T22:46:05+02:00 Barry Duke

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Image via YouTube

THREE Polish activists, including Elżbieta Podlesna, above, of Amnesty International, are scheduled to go on trial tomorrow (Wednesday) accused for ‘offending religious beliefs’, according to LGBT+ rights organisation ILGA-Europe. They could each be jailed for up to two years.

The Independent reports that the three were were arrested in 2019 and charged the next year after they stuck up posters of the Virgin Mary adorned with a rainbow halo.

Polish Conservative politician Joachim Brudziński took to Twitter at the time of Podlesna’s arrest in 2019 to announce that someone had been arrested for:

Carrying out a profanation of the Virgin Mary of Częstochowa.

Image via YouTube

Police arrested and detained Podlesna after her return to Poland from a trip abroad with Amnesty International. An official investigation was then launched in May 2019, resulting in all three women being charged in July 2020.

The trial, supposed to start in November but postponed until this Wednesday (January 13), has since garnered worldwide attention, with a coalition of human rights organisations, including ILGA-Europe and Amnesty International, clubbing together to call for Polish authorities to drop the charges and allow the women to exercise their right to “peaceful activism” and “freedom of expression”.

The groups said in a joint statement that Polish authorities:

Should amend their legislation and bring it in line with international and regional human rights standards and abstain from using it against activists to unduly curtail their right to freedom of expression.

The three have all been charged with “offending religious beliefs”, under article 196 of Poland’s Criminal Code, which states:

Anyone found guilty of intentionally offending religious feelings through public calumny of an object or place of worship liable to a fine, a restriction of liberty, or to imprisonment for a maximum of two years.

Authorities allege that Podlesna and two women identified only as “Anna” and “Joanna”:

Publicly insulted an object of religious worship in the form of this image which offended the religious feelings of others.

The rights coalition said in a joint statement, posted on ILGA-Europe’s website:

The trio supposedly pasted the modified Virgin Mary posters around the central Polish city of Plock, on 29 April 2019, in public spaces such as portable toilets, dustbins and road signs. They now face up to two years in prison if found guilty.

Creating or distributing posters such as the ones depicting the Virgin Mary with a rainbow halo should not be a criminal offence and is protected under the right to freedom of expression.

The organisations said article 196 of the Criminal Code:

Imposes undue restrictions on the right to freedom of expression by allowing authorities too much leeway to prosecute and criminalise individuals for expression that must be protected.

This is incompatible with Poland’s international and regional human rights obligations.

Amnesty International has previously called on Polish authorities to amend article 196 of the Criminal Code, which it said:

Criminalises statements protected by the right to freedom of expression.

Some 140,000 people have joined an international campaign urging Poland’s prosecutor general to drop the “unfounded charges” against Podlesna and “Anna” and “Joanna.”

The coalition’s statement ends by saying:

Elżbieta, Anna and Joanna stood against hate and discrimination and for years they have been fighting for a just and equal Poland. They deserve to be praised and not taken to court for their activism.

• Please report any typos/errors to [email protected]

If you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee – and boy, do I get through a LOT of coffee keeping this site active – please click the link below.

I’d love a cup of coffee

News

Amnesty International

Blasphemy

Elżbieta Podlesna

Poland

Previous Post

January 12, 2021

Babies 'died like flies' in Irish Catholic-run homes for unwed mums

Next Post

January 13, 2021 God told evangelist that 'Trump would become a trumpet'

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Archive My Atheism News Opinion Reviews Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 March 2007 April 2006 February 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was told to prophesy to the mountains and valleys of Israel?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Micah

Books by This Author Books by The Freethinker

See All Titles »