Polish artist sentenced for blasphemous painting

Krzysztof Soroka (35) has been sentenced by the Court of Appeal, as he was found guilty of hurting “religious feelings.”. The judge in Szczecin, furthermore, ruled that he has to cover the costs of the judicial process that was started by the Roman Catholic judicial organisation Fidei Defensor. That is reported by the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant.

Cross

Soroka had created a painting that shows a cross that is pushed into the genitals of a woman by a clergyman. He took his work to a protest against the tightening of the abortion law in 2021.

As he was accused of blasphemy, Soroka had to appear before a lower court. There, he was acquitted, but the prosecutor appealed that decision by referring to a controversial article in the Polish criminal code that forbids insulting “religious feelings.” Violation of the article can lead to a fine or prison term of up to two years.

The artist can appeal the decision of the appeal court at the highest court of Poland in Warsaw. He told the Volkskrant that he was considering that option but must consult with his lawyer first. If the highest court upholds the sentence, the artist can go to the European Court of Human Rights.

Bible

Earlier, the European Court admonished the Polish authorities for having sentenced Doda, a Polish pop singer, for having said that the Bible was written by a drunk person who was high from smoking weed.