STIFTUNG FORUM RECHT OPENS PHOTO EXHIBITION SPRAWIEDLIWOŚĆ - JUSTICE

A successful start to the annual program: The new photo exhibition at the Stiftung Forum Recht shows until 7 April how quickly the principles of the rule of law can be lost and how much this encroaches on the rights of citizens.

Karlsruhe. The Forum Recht Foundation opened the first exhibition in its premises in Karlstraße in Karlsruhe yesterday evening. Among the more than 100 guests was the Lord Mayor of Dr. Frank Mentrup. The international photo exhibition SPRAWIEDLIWOŚĆ - JUSTICE focuses on the question of what happens when politics undermines the rule of law. Large-format portrait photographs by the Polish photographer Piotr Wójcik show judges, public prosecutors and lawyers who opposed the judicial reform of the former Polish PiS government in an attempt to protect the constitution of the Republic of Poland.

Attacks on the rule of law
The exhibition makes tangible how quickly the principles of the rule of law can be dismantled when parties with authoritarian tendencies come to power through democratic elections. Supposedly self-evident principles such as the independence of judges and public prosecutor investigations have been attacked and in some cases overridden in Poland by a number of seemingly minor interventions.

Against the backdrop of calls to protect the Federal Constitutional Court from attacks by extreme parties, the exhibition is also highly topical in Germany. "The Constitutional Court is regularly the first target of an attack on the rule of law. The loss of independent constitutional court control paves the way for a transformation of the entire judicial system," explained Johannes Vöhler, research associate at the Chair of European and International Law at the University of Freiburg, at the opening of the exhibition. "The case of Poland should be taken as an opportunity to reflect on the resilience of the constitutional state in Germany."

Defending constitutions
Photographer Piotr Wójcik emphasized the importance of the exhibition: "What I am saying may sound banal: Nothing is safe - not even our fundamental rights and constitution. We have to defend them every day. In Poland, we are currently experiencing how difficult it is to restore the status quo of the rule of law from the time before the PiS government."

The judges, public prosecutors and lawyers depicted in the exhibition have their say through videos and quotes. They describe the motives for their resistance despite the threat of repression in an impressive and personal way.

Exhibition visit in Karlsruhe
After stops in Warsaw and The Hague, the photo exhibition will be on display in Karlsruhe until April 7, 2024. Visitors can explore the exhibition with 30 photographs and accompanying texts themselves or take part in free guided tours.

In addition to the photo exhibition, the Stiftung Forum Recht is offering an accompanying program with discussion events, film screenings at the Kinemathek Karlsruhe and a Polish brunch in a relaxed atmosphere.

The Admission and participation in guided tours are free of charge.

The exhibition SPRAWIEDLIWOŚĆ - GERECHTIGKEIT is a collaboration between the Stiftung Forum Recht and the Fundacja Picture Doc Warsaw.