Ela Podlesna
Ela Podlesna is an independent activist and was one of 14 women attacked by far-right protesters after the women held up a banner reading “Stop Fascism” at an Independence Day March in Warsaw in 2017. Far-right protesters were marching with racist and fascist symbols and slogans such as “white Poland.”
On 6 May 2019, Ela was arrested following her return from a trip to Belgium and the Netherlands with Amnesty International, related to the public appearance of posters depicting a religious icon with a rainbow flag in support of LGBTI+ rights.
Human rights defenders (HRDs) in Poland work for the protection and promotion of variety specific issues of political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights. However, the most problematic issues are the following: police misconduct, corruption, inefficiency and lack of the independence of the judiciary, laws that restrict freedom of speech and assembly, violations of workers' rights, discrimination against women, societal discrimination and violence against ethnic minorities, gays, lesbians, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI).
