KRYMINALIZACJA OBRAZY UCZUĆ RELIGIJNYCH W POLSKIM PRAWIE KARNYM

The Criminalisation of Insult to Religious Feelingsin Polish Criminal LawSummaryThe article discusses the criminalisation of conduct that is offensiveto another person’s religious feelings under the Polish Penal Code. Thefirst part presents arguments against the recognition of such behaviouras an offence. The next part gives arguments showing that it must betreated as an offence. The author discusses offences against freedomof conscience and religion from the perspective of the principle of thesecular state and its neutrality on worldview. The article also refers togrounds for the criminalisation of conduct which is offensive to anotherperson’s religious feelings, the offence defined in Article 196 of the Polish Criminal Code, in the light of freedom of speech. The constructionof Article 196 is analysed from the point of view of comparative lawand compared to other European legal systems.