Justyna Wydrzynska was sentenced on Tuesday, three years after giving a woman abortion pills.
A Polish activist found guilty of facilitating an abortion has told Al Jazeera she plans to appeal her sentence in a case that challenges the country’s strict abortion laws.
On Tuesday, a court in the capital Warsaw sentenced Justyna Wydrzynska to three years after she sent the pills to a woman allegedly in an abusive relationship.
In addition to eight months of community service, she was fined and now has a criminal record.
Poland has some of the most restrictive abortion rules in Europe; termination of pregnancy is allowed only in cases of incest, rape, or if the mother’s health is in danger. Helping someone terminate their pregnancy is also prohibited.
But Wydrzynska, the co-founder of Abortion Dream Team, a grassroots initiative that has been supporting women seeking abortion in Poland for seven years, insisted she was innocent.
Speaking to Al Jazeera by phone shortly after the verdict, the 48-year-old said she had hoped her latest speech – drawing on her experiences with domestic violence, abortion and social work – would have had an impact.
“I thought the judge would consider some of what I said at trial, so it’s absolutely demoralizing to hear a verdict like that. But I am innocent and I intend to appeal the verdict.”
Kinga Jelinska, the Polish co-founder and executive director of Women Help Women, a partner organization, has joined Wydrzynska at hearings following the first indictment in late 2021.
She said: “We think this is a political sentence. The court’s explanation was horrible and pathetic, showing no respect for human rights. Polls show that the majority of people in Poland support the right to abortion. With this ruling, the court and the government show that they are out of touch with the needs of society.”
The trial, the first of its kind against a reproductive rights activist in Europe, has drawn international condemnation from human rights groups and politicians alike, and concerns have been raised about its implications in the context of the Roe vs Wade ruling in the United States. .
The maximum penalty in Poland for facilitating an abortion is three years in prison.
Irene Donadio, spokesperson for the International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network in Brussels, condemned the verdict.
Wydrzynska’s relatively light sentence was politically motivated, she said, to avoid unrest and reverberation in elections later this year.
“I think it’s very important to realize what kind of incredible, courageous and powerful person Wydrzynska is,” she said. “The case has exposed the ugly side of the system and how desperate the state and judiciary are when it comes to attacking women’s rights.
“But on the other hand, it has highlighted the level of solidarity that exists around the issue, and I think it will be clear to women that they are not alone, because there are other women who are brave enough to stand for this freedom. to fight.
“The case has also exposed the system’s hypocrisy to many people, including men, because it is clearly inhumane.”
