Complaint to prosecutor's office regarding Children's Rights Ombudsman Hornej-Cieślak – case from Białołęka
The National Prosecutor's Office confirmed receipt of a complaint alleging a criminal offence by Children's Rights Ombudsman Monika Hornej-Cieślak. The case concerns an intervention in Białołęka, following which two small children were placed in a care facility.
National Prosecutor's Office to investigate charges against Children's Rights Ombudsman
The National Prosecutor's Office announced on Friday that it had received a complaint alleging a criminal offence committed by Children's Rights Ombudsman Monika Hornej-Cieślak. According to Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, the charges include abuse of authority and making false accusations.
The case will be taken over by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Szczecin. The complaint is directly linked to an intervention concerning a family from Warsaw's Białołęka, which was described on Wednesday by the Zero.pl portal.
Incident in Białołęka
The incident occurred in August of this year. According to Zero.pl, Hornej-Cieślak, whilst walking along the pavement in Białołęka, noticed a woman pulling a child and shouting at them. When the Ombudsman drew the woman's attention to this, she responded with vulgar language. Hornej-Cieślak informed the police of the incident.
Following these actions, the police issued an order to the parents to leave their home and imposed a restraining order preventing them from approaching the children. A three-year-old and a four-year-old were placed in a care and educational facility.
The portal, citing the words of the family court, quoted an assessment that the Ombudsman's actions "may show clear signs of institutional violence", and that "the state and administrative machine was set in motion in a blatantly disproportionate manner to the incident that occurred".
Hornej-Cieślak's response
In an interview with the Polish Press Agency, the Ombudsman rejected these accusations. She explained that she acted within her remit and was guided by concern for the children's safety. She added that the family had previously been known to the authorities and was covered by the Blue Card procedure.
Political repercussions
The submission of the complaint was publicly announced by MP Paweł Jabłoński from the Rozwój Plus party. On the X platform, he urged the prosecutor's office to immediately secure documentation and correspondence between the Ombudsman and her staff members, the police, the probation officer and the court. "The prosecutor should request the Sejm's permission to bring the Children's Rights Ombudsman to criminal responsibility," wrote Jabłoński.
On the same day, MPs from Rozwój Plus, Law and Justice and Confederation announced they would file motions to recall Hornej-Cieślak from the position of Children's Rights Ombudsman.
Source: Dziennik Gazeta Prawna