An unprecedented compensation trial for Robert Janczewski has begun at the District Court in Katowice. The man, who was definitively acquitted of the brutal murder of student Katarzyna Z., is demanding over PLN 22.5 million for seven years of wrongful detention. The lawsuit filed against the State Treasury concerns not only the loss of freedom but also exceptionally drastic human rights violations and permanent damage to the victim's mental health during years of isolation.

Proceedings have commenced at the District Court in Katowice that could result in one of the largest compensation payouts in the history of the Polish justice system. Robert Janczewski, previously known to the public as Robert J., was wrongfully accused of brutally murdering Kraków student Katarzyna Z. in 1998. This case, referred to as the „Skóra” case, remained one of the darkest unsolved mysteries in Polish criminology for decades. After an investigation and trial lasting many years, during which conflicting verdicts were issued, the man was ultimately found innocent by an appellate court, which opened the way for him to seek compensation from the State Treasury. Representative of the claimant, attorney Łukasz Chojniak, argues that the amount of PLN 22.5 million is commensurate with the immense suffering endured by his client. The seven years spent in pre-trial detention have been described as a series of humiliations and tortures. Court documentation indicates that Janczewski was subjected to drastic procedures, such as injections of chemical substances into his genitals and prolonged deprivation of hygiene. The consequences of these actions include severe depression and recurring suicidal thoughts, which have permanently destroyed the man's psyche. The defense emphasizes that this trial is symbolic in nature and should demonstrate whether the state is capable of taking responsibility for the errors of its law enforcement agencies. The 1998 murder case of Katarzyna Z. was groundbreaking for Polish criminology due to the unique nature of the crime and the use of psychological profiling by the then-emerging team of experts in forensic medicine and investigative psychology.The court, in its decision to acquit, pointed to the lack of direct evidence of guilt and the need to resolve all doubts in favor of the accused, in accordance with the principle of in dubio pro reo. <przypis title=