President Nawrocki pardons three, including anti-communist activist and wrongly convicted Pole

Three pardons announced

On Monday, 3 August 2026, President Karol Nawrocki issued three pardons, as announced by Secretary of State Mateusz Kotecki at a press conference. The Chancellery did not release the names, citing established practice; spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz noted that identities are disclosed only when the individual consents, as happened with a previous pardon. The president has now granted seven pardons and refused five since taking office. He also requested case files for four additional individuals from the Prosecutor General, out of eight requests he reviewed.

Adam Borowski: defamation sentence forgiven

The first pardon concerned a person sentenced to six months in prison for defamation via mass media (Article 212 §2 of the Penal Code). Kotecki cited humanitarian grounds, advanced age, deteriorating health, a stable lifestyle, the incidental nature of the act, and "outstanding merits for democratic transformation in Poland." The individual was identified as Adam Borowski, an anti-communist opposition activist and head of the Warsaw "GP" club. He had been convicted of defaming Civic Coalition MP Roman Giertych and had ignored court orders to apologize. Borowski was awarded the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by President Lech Kaczyński in 2006.

Borowski was sentenced to six months in prison because he ignored court orders to apologize to me for defamation. Now you know why we must plan settlements so that a final conviction occurs after the end of the term or removal from office of Karol Nawrocki. He will pardon all PiS supporters.

Piotr Staruchowicz: stadium ban lifted

The second pardon, initiated by the president himself, lifted a stadium ban imposed on a Legia Warsaw fan leader. The individual had been convicted under the Mass Event Safety Act for being in a sector other than the one indicated on the ticket during a match between Motor Lublin and Legia Warszawa. Kotecki said the pardon was motivated by a positive community opinion and the incidental nature of the offence. The ban was expunged, restoring the person's clean record. The person was identified as Piotr "Staruch" Staruchowicz, a well-known Legia supporter.

I was punished with a stadium ban for standing on the fence and leading the cheering at a match in Lublin, even though I had accreditation issued by the match organizer and was allowed to be on the fence. The court in Lublin decided to sentence me to a two-year stadium ban.

Piotr Pytel: life sentence for a crime he did not commit

The third case involved a person sentenced to life imprisonment for murder with robbery and robbery. The president granted conditional early release from the remaining life sentence, with a five-year probation period and supervision by a probation officer. The decision followed two requests from Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek and positive opinions from both the first and second instance courts. The individual was identified as Piotr Pytel, who was convicted in 2006 by a Munich court for the murder of Ecaterina I. Polish prosecutors later established that another man, Tomasz W., had confessed to the crime over 15 years ago. Despite the evidence, German authorities refused to reopen the case. Pytel spent 22 years in prison. In June 2026, Prosecutor General Żurek ordered a break in his sentence, and the pardon now formalizes his release.

Reactions and context

The pardons drew immediate political reaction. Roman Giertych, the defamation victim in Borowski's case, warned that President Nawrocki would use his power to protect supporters of the former ruling party. The Pytel case, long covered by Polish media as a miscarriage of justice by German courts, was seen as a correction of a wrongful conviction. The president's office stated that each decision was based on a thorough review of case files, court opinions, and the convict's conduct. The total number of pardons granted by Nawrocki now stands at seven, with five refusals.