Krzysztof Jan Śmiszek (born 25 August 1979 in Stalowa Wola) is a Polish lawyer, politician, human rights and minority rights activist, and Doctor of Legal Sciences. He is a co-founder and former chair of the Polish Society of Anti-Discrimination Law, a member of the

Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland. The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...

9th and 10th terms (2019–2024), vice-chair of the

New Left The New Left was a broad political movement that emerged from the counterculture of the 1960s and continued through the 1970s. It consisted of activists in the Western world who, in reaction to the era's liberal establishment, campaigned for freer ...

, Deputy

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

from 2023 to 2024, and a Member of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

for the 10th term (since 2024).

Biography

Education

He attended the National Education Commission High School in Stalowa Wola and graduated in 1998. In 2003, he graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration at the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public university, public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well ...

. In 2006, he completed postgraduate studies in European Law at the same university. In 2016, he earned a PhD in legal sciences, specializing in European law, with a dissertation titled The European Standard of Equality and Polish Law, Substantive and Institutional Aspect, supervised by Mirosław Wyrzykowski. In 2021, he qualified as an attorney.

Professional activity

In the years 2003–2005, he worked as a lawyer in the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Status of Women and Men Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka and

Magdalena Środa Magdalena Środa (née Magdalena Ciupak, b. January 7, 1957 in Warsaw) is a Polish feminist politician and philosopher, extraordinary professor of ethics at the University of Warsaw, and a feminist author. She is also a columnist for the ''Gazeta ...

, where he was involved in the analysis and practical application of anti-discrimination legislation. For several years, he was the head of the Legal Group of the

Campaign Against Homophobia Campaign Against Homophobia (, KPH) is a Polish LGBTQ rights organisation, which aims to promote legal and social equality for people outside of heteronormativity, heteronormality. It was founded in Warsaw in September 2001. It has local branche ...

Association. In the years 2008–2010, he worked in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

as a lawyer and program coordinator at Equinet - European Network of Equality Bodies. In the years 2011–2016, he was a researcher at the Human Rights Department of the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Warsaw. From 2017 to 2019, he was a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Administration and International Relations at the Krakow Academy Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski. In 2018, he was a scholarship holder at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia. He gave guest lectures, including at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

and the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

at Austin.

Political activity

In 2019, he became involved in the political party

Spring Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

. In the elections to the European Parliament 2019, he unsuccessfully applied for a seat in the EP. In the parliamentary elections in 2019, he was elected a deputy to the Sejm of the Republic of Poland of the 9th term, gaining 43,447 votes. He was elected one of seven vice-chairmen of the

Left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relativ ...

parliamentary club. In November 2019, he was elected chairman of the newly formed LGBT+ Parliamentary Group on Equal Opportunity, in addition to being a member of the Justice and Human Rights Committee and the European Union Affairs Committee. He was also a member of the Polish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; , CdE) is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it is Europe's oldest intergovernmental organisation, represe ...

. In June 2021, after Wiosna dissolved, he joined the

. In October 2021, he became co-chair of the party's regional structures in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship He was re-elected in the 2023 parliamentary election, gaining 34,577 votes. On 13 December 2023 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice in

Donald Tusk Donald Franciszek Tusk (born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician and historian who has served as the prime minister of Poland since 2023, previously holding the office from 2007 to 2014. Tusk served as the president of the European Council (20 ...

's third cabinet. In 2024, he was elected to the European Parliament (10th term) from The Left list in district no. 12, receiving 70,363 votes. As a result, in June of the same year, he ended his term as Deputy Minister. In the European Parliament, he joined the Legal Affairs Committee and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

Publications

* Discrimination and Mobbing in Employment (co-author with K. Kędziora), C.H. Beck, Warsaw 2008 * Equal Treatment of LGBT People in Employment – Community Law vs. Yogyakarta Principles, 2009 * A Bird’s Eye View of Equal Treatment Bodies across Europe, 2010 * New Standards of Protection against Discrimination in Polish Law, Legal Education, 2011 * Legal Situation of Transgender People in Poland (co-editor), 2013 * LGBTI Asylum Claims: Central and Eastern European Perspective, Forced Migration Review, 2013 * Combating Sexual Orientation Discrimination in the EU (co-author), 2015 * Anti-discrimination Test Cases: A Practical Guide, 2016 * Freedom of Economic Activity and Anti-Discrimination Standards at Work, 2016 * Commentary on the Act Implementing EU Equal Treatment Directives (co-editor), 2016

Awards

* Economic Personality of the Year 2022, awarded by the Federation of Polish Entrepreneurs * Equality Crown in the “Political Life” category, awarded by the Campaign Against Homophobia (2022) * MEP Awards Best Speech of the Year 2025

Personal life

Since 2002, he has been in a relationship with politician, political scientist, and

political party leader

Robert Biedroń Robert Biedroń (; born 13 April 1976) is a Polish politician, former mayor of Słupsk, and LGBT activist who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. He is the Chair of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equal ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Śmiszek, Krzysztof 1979 births Living people University of Warsaw alumni Spring (political party) politicians Members of the Polish Sejm 2019–2023 Lawyers from Warsaw Polish gay politicians Polish LGBTQ lawyers People from Stalowa Wola Polish LGBTQ rights activists 21st-century Polish lawyers LGBTQ legislators New Left (Poland) politicians Members of the Polish Sejm 2023–2027