At the end of June, MPs voted on an amendment to criminal law. The bill was supported by 335 parliamentarians, 44 voted against it, and 47 abstained.
Among those who abstained was, among others, Bolesławiec MP Szymon Pogoda (39), representing Law and Justice. However, he was in the minority within his parliamentary club, as 94 PiS MPs supported the changes.
On August 9, the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland announced that Andrzej Duda had signed the amendment to the Criminal Code.
The crime of rape will be punishable by imprisonment for between two and 15 years. Rape will be defined as forcing another person to engage in sexual intercourse through violence, an unlawful threat, deception or in another way despite that person’s lack of consent.
– The proposed amendment to the Criminal Code concerning the definition of rape raises certain doubts. The new definition (...) may result in shifting the burden of proof onto the accused. During the parliamentary club speeches, many arguments both for and against the amendment were presented. I was concerned about the possibility of abuse and false accusations by victims. On the other hand, I believe that, as an entire political class, we should create regulations that guarantee safety, protect victims and impose severe penalties on rape perpetrators. I also believe that the regulations being introduced must limit the possibility of potential abuse, and in this case such a situation cannot be ruled out – MP Szymon Pogoda told istotne.pl.
A Left MP responded to such allegations in the Sejm.
– False reports exist and always will, in the case of all types of crimes. People sometimes lie. And it is always the responsibility of law enforcement authorities to prove that lie. Absolutely nothing will change regarding what some of you fear—that there will be false reports. Ladies and gentlemen, regardless of whether we are talking about theft, murder or rape, guilt must be proven. It must be proven – emphasized MP Anita Kucharska-Dziedzic.