We have been ordered to leave our office!

Adobe Stock

Two days ago, I received a letter calling on the Ordo Iuris Institute to “immediately vacate the PAST building.” On the anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, the Foundation of the Polish Underground State, which manages this historic buidling, decided to remove us unlawfully, in violation of our agreement, due to reasons related to care “for its image also through appropriate recruitment of tenants.”

We were faced with the necessity to fight for our rights and possibly continue the Ordo Iuris Institute’s activities at our headquarters unfettered. It is the very headquarters that, with the help of our Donors, were raised from ruin and adapted to the modern needs and requirements of office work. We need your help in order to defend our rights and the validity of our agreements.

The Ordo Iuris Institute, which for years has represented patriotic organizations in courts pro bono, cooperated with local organizations in the removal of Soviet monuments and memorials, with all its activities subscribes to the words of the oath of the Home Army “To be faithful to my Homeland, the Republic of Poland.” However, in spite of these activities and the mission carried out, and in spite of the timely fulfillment of all due payments, the Ordo Iuris Institute has received a blow from the Polish Underground State Foundation, which manages the Warsaw PAST building entrusted to it by the State Treasury.

Previously, similar harassment was directed at the “Łączka” Foundation, famous for its effective fight for the memory and good name of the Unbroken-Cursed Soldiers. It was the chairman of this foundation, the well-known historian Tadeusz M. Płużański, who turned to us for help in the face of attacks from the Polish Underground State Foundation. His distinguished organization was also supposed to leave the premises of the PAST building. It was our cooperation and a joint broadcast on Polish Radio 24, where we exposed the unlawful practices of the new authorities of the Polish Underground State Foundation, that became the pretext for the final escalation of lawlessness and the attempt to deprive us of our headquarters in PAST.

All problems began with the sudden changes in the authorities of the Polish Underground State Foundation, headed by former Freedom Union politician Jacek Taylor, who was appointed to the post by the World Union of Home Army Soldiers. Until recently, he compared the current situation in Poland with the times of totalitarian practices of the People’s Republic of Poland. Now he has launched a strenuous effort to remove more patriotic organizations from the historic building. Even those that, like Ordo Iuris, have recently agreed to a rent increase, have entered into new long-term lease agreements, and always settled all payments on time.

Therefore, in this situation, I am forced to urgently ask for your help. One thing is certain – without pressure on the Polish Underground State Foundation and the World Union of Home Army Soldiers, the Ordo Iuris Institute will face the risk of losing the ability to work peacefully in its headquarters.

What can be done today is a simple phone call or e-mail on our case to the Polish Underground State Foundation (phone no: 22 620 12 80 or 22 624 14 77; e-mail address: [email protected]) and the World Union of Home Army Soldiers (phone number: 22 620 12 85 or 22 620 12 87; e-mail address: [email protected]) with a request to honor the agreements made with us. I know that we are not alone. I also believe that both of these organizations should understand what a huge mistake they are making by attempting to unlawfully eject us from the premises we rented until 2033!

Continued use of the premises in the PAST building is a guarantee for us to work peacefully in the name of our values: life, family, and freedom. The international investment funds that own much of the office space in Warsaw do not want to rent space to the Ordo Iuris Institute. If we lose our premises in the PAST building, our entire operation will be at risk. Therefore, we must fight for our rights and for the fulfillment of our lease agreement with the Polish Underground State Foundation.

This time I am not asking for support for the families we represent before the courts, nor for the defenders of life cared for by our attorneys or for the expert reports sent to the UN.

This is the first time I am asking you to help us in our own case, because this is the first time we are facing such a serious threat ourselves.

As I have already mentioned, renting premises for Ordo Iuris is extremely difficult. At the same time, if we lose our headquarters, in no way can we currently afford to acquire our own property in Warsaw. Premises that would accommodate the Institute’s entire team and the necessary space for meetings with Beneficiaries or for press conferences is, in view of current rates, no less than PLN 8,000,000....

We will, of course, use all legal means to enforce our right to use the premises in the PAST building under the lease agreement concluded for the next ten years.

However, in the strategic perspective, there is no other choice than to purchase our own premises. This is the only way to secure the continuity and effectiveness of the Institute’s activities for years to come. Therefore, the Board of the Ordo Iuris Institute has decided to establish a separate fund for this purpose.

I kindly ask you for any financial support possible, regardless of the request for phone calls and emails to put pressure on the authorities of the Polish Underground State Foundation and the World Union of Home Army Soldiers.

Thank you in advance for your help.