Prawnokarna ochrona obywatelskiej inicjatywy ustawodawczej

The paper discusses the problem of the criminal-law protection of the exercise of the legislative initiative by citizens. The discussed institution, considered to be one of the main instruments of exercising power by the nation, which confers the right to initiate legislative proceedings in relation to specific matters on a group of citizens specified by the provisions of law has been specifically regulated in the Act of 24 June 1999 on the Exercise of the Legislative Initiative by Citizens. In the presented paper, the author discusses selected problems concerning the criminal-law protection of the said institution. The problem has not yet drawn the attention of either the judicature or the representatives of the literature on the subject. A substantial part of the deliberations concerns the analysis of the prohibited acts set forth in Article 19 and in Article 20 of the Act on the Exercise of the Legislative Initiative by Citizens. Apart from remarks related to the current legal status, the paper indicates proposals of future legislative amendments.