Death penalty in Poland : relict or possible threat

For centuries, the death penalty has been a subject of interest not only to lawyers, political scientists, philosophers or psychologists, but also to representatives of various types of organizations, including non-governmental organizations and politicians. The death penalty is the merciless murder of a human being, committed premeditatedly by the state in the name of justice. It is a violation of the right to life guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the most cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. A mistake cannot be eliminated, which is all the more dangerous because the death penalty is an irreversible punishment. The death penalty was and still is sometimes treated as a political tool, used to eliminate inconvenient opponents. In Poland, the last execution was carried out in 1988, followed by a moratorium on the adjudication and execution of the death penalty, and finally amended legislation. Today Poland is a member of the Council of Europe and the European Union, which strictly oppose the death penalty. However, there is no shortage of voices, both among politicians and the public, to reinstate the death penalty for the most serious crimes. This article presents the history of the death penalty in Poland and selected contemporary views, on the possibility of reinstating the death penalty in Polish criminal law.