Sławomir Rybicki

Senator of the 9th, 10th and 11th term Senate. Deputy to the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th term Sejm. Born on 23 June 1960 in Gdańsk. He graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk in 1986. In the 1970s, he was active in the democratic opposition at the Baltic coast as a member of the Movement for Defence of Human Rights and the Young Poland Movement. He participated in the Gdańsk Shipyard strike of August 1980 and set up the first printing shops in the striking shipyards in Gdańsk and Gdynia. In 1980-1981, he was active in the “Solidarity” Independent Self-Governing Trade Union, and from 1981 served as a secretary to the Union President, Lech Wałęsa. During martial law and afterwards, he continued to clandestinely work for the opposition. In 1986-1987, he was employed at the “Świetlik” High-Elevation Work Cooperative in Gdańsk. From 1987 to 1989, he chaired the Management Board of the “Corina” Renovation Enterprise, and from 1989 to 1990, he was the President of the “Profilm” Film Agency in Gdańsk. For many years, he was a close associate of Maciej Płażyński, directing Płażyński’s office during the latter’s term as the first non-communist head of Gdańsk region (1990-1996) and the Speaker of the Sejm (1997-2001). Sławomir Rybicki was the organiser and one of the participants of meetings that led to the foundation of the Civic Platform party. From 1996 to 1997, he was the Head of the Office of the former President Lech Wałęsa in Gdańsk. He served as the Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, being responsible for relations with the government, parliament and political parties (2012-2015), and as the Deputy Head of this Chancellery (2013–2015). In 2001-2012, he was a Deputy to the Sejm. In the 4th, 5th and 6th term Sejm, he was the Chair and later the Deputy Chair of the Deputy Ethics Committee. In the 7th term Sejm, he chaired the National and Ethnic Minorities Committee. In the 5th, 6th and 7th term Sejm, he was the Deputy Chair of the Civic Platform Parliamentary Club. In the 9th and 10th term Senate, he was the Chair of the Rules, Ethics and Senatorial Affairs Committee. In the 10th term, he was the Chair of the Special Committee to Investigate Cases of Russian Influence on the Decisions of Public Authority Bodies in Poland and the Deputy Chair of the Special Committee to Explain the Cases of Illegal Surveillance and Their Influence on the Electoral Process in the Republic of Poland and for the Reform of Special Services. He is a member of the Bronisław Komorowski Institute and the Council of the Arkadiusz Rybicki Foundation. He was decorated with the Cross of Freedom and Solidarity, the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, and the Distinguished Cultural Service badge. Member of the Civic Platform party.

Polish politician