On Tuesday, September 26, the Polish Club at the University of Texas Austin in conjunction with the Strauss Center, the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, the Center for European Studies, the Liberal Arts Honors Program, the Department of Government, Texas Global, the Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice, and International Relations & Global Studies is hosting Dr. Adam Bodnar, Poland’s former Ombudsman for Citizen Rights from 2015-2021. He is currently running for a seat in the Polish Parliament. He will be delivering a speech entitled “Rule of Law and Human Rights in Poland Today.” Ombudsman Bodnar will deliver introductory remarks for 10-15-minutes and take Q&A for the remaining time.
When registering, there will be a section to submit questions for Ombudsman Bodnar. Questions should pertain to the speech topic. The moderator will select the most interesting questions and ask them anonymously.
Please see here for more information and to register.
Biography
Dr. Adam Bodnar is a Polish lawyer and activist, serving as the Polish Ombudsman for Citizen Rights from 2015 to 2021. During his tenure, he was awarded the Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize for the promotion of human rights of intellectual and political freedom. Prior to 2015, he co-founded and coordinated the Precedent Matters Program with the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, and then served as head of the legal department and vice-president of the board. He was also on the board of directors of the UN Fund for Victims of Torture from 2013-2014.
Dr. Bodnar received his PhD in 2006 from the University of Warsaw in constitutional law. His thesis “Multi-level society in the European constitutional sphere” received an honorable mention in the thesis competition organized by Przegląd Sejmowy (Parliamentary Review). He received his Master of Law degree in the field of comparative constitutional law from the Central European University in Budapest.
In 2019 alone, Dr. Bodnar received the Rule of Law Award conferred by the World Justice Project and the Human Dignity Award from the Roland Berger Foundation. He was awarded the French Order the Legion of Honour in 2020.