Protection of a good name in the penal codes in 1918-1997

Małgorzata Szwejkowska, Robert

Dziembowski

Protection of a good name in the

penal codes in 1918-1997

Studia Prawnoustrojowe nr 22, 101-107

2013

Małgorzata Szwejkowska Robert Dziembowski

D ep artm ent of S ubstantive C rim inal Law U niversity of W arm ia an d M azury in Olsztyn

P r o te c tio n o f a g o o d n a m e in th e p e n a l co d es

in 1918-1997

Up to th e m om ent w hen th e uniform Polish penal code of 1932 came into force th ere were 3 different p enal codes for th e territo rie s of the form er A u strian, R ussian & P ru ssia n partitions.

In th e form er A u stria n p artitio n , th e source of th e penal law was the Universal pen al act from 27. M ay 1852.1 It came into force on 1. Sept. 1852. This act reg u lated th e offence of slan d er (calum ny - Verleumdung), accor­ ding to which a libel was an u n tru th fu l accusation of a n o th er person of an offence w hich could cause in stitu tin g legal proceedings ag ain st th e slande­ red. The slan d erer h a d to be aw are th a t an offence he accused another person of did not tak e place. He also h ad to act w ith th e in ten tio n of com m it­ tin g th e deed. A fabricated offence also h a d to constitute a crim e in th e sense of a penal s ta tu to ry act. D efam ation in th e A u stria n legal system was a crim e liable to th e p en alty of close confinem ent from 1 to 5 years. H ad the slan d erer used a p a rticu la r stra ta g e m to m ake th e ir deed verisim ilar, when they exposed th e person to danger or was a servant, in m ate or subordinate, or as a functionary com m itted a slan d er while doing official duties, th ey was liable to close confinem ent up to 10 years. The sta tu to ry penal act foresaw also an offence consisting in a n in su lt to good nam e (Ehrenbeleidigung). This offence com prised a groundless blam e of a crime, m isdem eanor or contraven­ tion, as well as a charge of oth er dishonest deeds or infringing the rules of good m orals. An in su lt to a good nam e could also consist in prom ulgation inform ation on an o th er person from a private or fam ily life, even w hen the sta te m e n ts were tru e. B lam ing an o th er person of having ch aracter defects re s u lta n t in public contem pt w as also penalized2.

1 E. K rzym uski, C o m m en ts to the p e n a l la w, Volume I, Cracow 1901, p. 113, vide also E. K rzym uski, On the n e w est p ro ject o f the A u s tr ia n p e n a l la w, Cracow 1890.

2 E. K rzym uski, C o m m en ta rie s to the p e n a l la w, Volume II, Cracow 1902, pp. 3 0 3 -3 0 6 , vide also E. K rzym uski, C o m m en ts to the p e n a l la w fr o m the vie w p o in t o f science & A u s tr ia n

102 M a łg o r z a ta S z w e jk o w s k a , R o b e r t D z ie m b o w s k i

The p enal law in force in th e form er A u stria n p a rtitio n penalized a slan der in § 209, & req u ired th a t everybody who accused an o th er person of a crim e in front of a n authority, & m ere blam e could resu lt in in stitu tin g legal proceedings ag ain st th e blam ed, w as p e rp e tra to r of a slander. A severer responsibility for defam ation depended on th re e p rerequisites. The first one occurred w hen th e slan d erer trie d to m ake th e ir im p u tatio n verisim ilar. The second one w hen th ey exposed th e accused to a g rea ter peril, & th e th ird one w hen the slan d erer was a serv an t, in m ate or subordinate of th e sland ered or in th e case w hen a functionary com m itted a slan d er while doing th e ir official duties (§ 210). According to § 487 th e guilty of defam ation to a good nam e w as a person, who

• u n tru th fu lly accused of a crim e, & a charge does not go as far as it took place in § 209;

• u n tru th fu lly accused of a dishonourable & im m oral act, which m ay cause a public contem pt ag ain st th e accused (§ 488);

• in p rin ts, dissem inated w ritings or draw ings, or m ake slanderous charges public ag ain st an o th er person (even if they are tru e facts of a private or fam ily life) - § 489.

According to § 490 if th e charge m entioned in § 487 & 488 was m ade public in th e way foreseen in § 489 th e accused is liable to a penalty, w hen th ey were not able to prove the tru th fu ln e ss of th e assertions. Providing the charge p e rtain in g to § 487 & 488 was m ade public in a different way th a n foreseen in § 489 th e accuser is not penalized w hen th ey proved th e tru th fu l­ ness of th e ir assertions. A nother infringem ent on a good nam e was an in su lt m ade publicly or in th e presence of o th er people, also in p rin ts, lam poons or draw ings en dangering the victim to public ridicule (§ 490). Infringem ents on a good nam e as reg u lated in § from 487 to 492 were liable to a rre s t penalty from 6 m onths to 1 year. Persecution in all th e cases of infringem ent on a good nam e was u n d e rta k e n on th e dem and of the in sulted person (§ 495). Also in th e case of affronts or in su lts m ade in public, th e p e rp e tra to r was punish ed on th e dem and of th e in su lted person (§ 496)3.

The penal code, w hich was in force on th e territo ry of th e form er P ru s ­ sian p artitio n , was introduced on 15. May 1871.4 The offences ag ain st a good nam e were com prised in th e C h ap ter XIV “In su lt”. According to § 185, an in su lt w as punished w ith a pecuniary p enalty up to 600 m arks, an a rre st

3 A p e n a l sta tu to w y a ct on crim es, m isd e m e a n o rs & c o n tra ven tio n s, in force in the p r o v in ­

ces o f Cracow, Lw ow , S ta n is la w o w & Tarnopol. A b r id g e d ed itio n w ith c o m m e n ta ries fo r the usage in p olice schools & fo r s u p p le m e n ta r y tr a in in g c o n d u cted in sta te p olice s ta tio n s , Warsaw

1930, pp. 47, 7 8 -8 0 , vide also A m a n u a l o f p olice p e n a l law, sta tu to r y a c ts on p e n a l legal

p roceedings, in v e stig a tin g services, p a r lia m e n ta r y a cts & a d m in is tr a tiv e decrees fo r the use o f p olice o f the S ile s ia n p rovince.

4 D a s S tra fg e s etzb u c h f ü r d a s D eu tsch e R eich vom 15 M a i 1871. T h e p e n a l code o f the

p en alty or im prisonm ent up to 1 year. In the case in su lts m ade by th e m eans of a n act, the pecuniary p en alty am ounted up to 1,500 m ark s & im prison­ m en t up to 2 years. Everybody, who claim s or m akes public an u n tru th fu l accusation, which m ay hum iliate a n o th er person in th e eyes of public opi­ nion, was liable to a fine of 600 m ark s or a rre s t penalty, or im prisonm ent up to 1 year. In th e case of an in su lt m ade publicly or m ade th ro u g h dissem ina­ tion of w ritings, pictures & im ages, the p e rp e tra to r is liable to a fine of 1,500 m ark s or im prisonm ent up to 2 y ears (§ 186). In th e case of a deliberate in su lt m ade on th e grounds of false charges, which m ay h um iliate th e victim before public opinion, th e p e rp e tra to r was liable to a p enalty for a slandero­ us in su lt & was punished w ith im prisonm ent of up to 2 years. In th e case of m aking the charges public, the p e rp e tra to r w as liable to a penalty of no lesser th a n 1 m onth of im prisonm ent (§ 187). P re se n ta tio n of an evidence of th e tr u th p e rtain in g to th e charge did not exem pt from responsibility in the case w hen th e form or th e circum stances of th e deed was evident th a t the in su lt took place (§ 192). P ersecution of an in su lt was perform ed exclusively on dem and (§ 194)5.

The penal code of 1903, know n as th e Tagantsev code (after th e nam e of th e author) possessed an u n u su al significance. The code is so im p o rtant because till th e m om ent of th e coming into force of th e uniform Polish penal code of 1932, it acted as a penal code for th e territo ry of th e form er R ussian p a rtitio n 6. Offences ag ain st good nam e are placed in the P a rt XXVIII “On affront”. According to art. 530, a person guilty of a personal in su lt m ade by disgraceful expression tow ards th e in su lted or a m em ber of th e ir family, also th e deceased, was liable to a fine of 200 th o u sand Polish m arks. The guilty of defam ation perform ed by m aking a dishonourable circum stance public, also in absence of th e slandered, is liable to im prisonm ent for up to 6 m onths (art. 531). The p e rp e tra to r of in su ltin g th e ir m other, fa th e r or an o th er ascen­ ding relative, a C h ristian clergym an (priest, vicar, F a th e r Superior of Old Believers or a sect comm unity) while m in istration s, a functionary or comm u­ ne a d m in istra to r (in connexion w ith fulfilled duties) or a m ilitary g uards or a sentinel was penalized w ith im prisonm ent. To th e sam e p en alty w as im ­

5 Ibidem , pp. 9 5 -9 9 ; vide also T he p e n a l code o f the G erm a n R eich fro m 15 M a y 1871 w ith

la te r a m e n d m e n ts & re visio n s till 1918 a lo n g w ith the in tro d u cto ry sta tu to r y act fo r the N o r th G erm a n U nion (The G erm a n R eich ) fr o m 31. M a y 18 7 0, Poznań 1920, pp. 8 2 -8 7 .

6 On th e territory of th e farm er P ru ssian partition w ell after the restitu tion of P olish state, the G erm an penal code o f 1871 w a s in force, in th e form er A u strian p artition the uniform A u stria n p en al sta tu to ry act o f 1852. The two codes a lon g w ith th e T agan tsev code of 1903 w ere in force w ith am en d m en ts till th e m om en t o f introduction o f th e P o lish p en al code o f 1932, vid e W. M akow ski, P e n a l law . P a r tic u la r ly on offences. A c o m p a ra tiv e s tu d y o f

A u s tr ia n , P r u s s ia n & R u s s ia n in force in P o la n d, W arsaw 1924, pp. 3 6 6 -3 8 2 , vid e J. M akare­ w icz, P e n a l law . A com parative stu d y w ith regard to the v a lid law in the R epublic o f P o la n d, Lwow - Warsaw 1924.

104 M a łg o r z a ta S z w e jk o w s k a , R o b e r t D z ie m b o w s k i

p en d ent a p e rp e tra to r of in su lt on a ship cap tain or a prisoner in su lting a gaoler while or because of fulfilling th e ir duties (art. 523). The p erp e tra to r of an in su lt m ade by th e m eans of d issem inated or publicly p resented w ri­ tings, p rin ts, im ages w as punished w ith im prisonm ent. An editor of a perio­ dical who was found guilty of in sertin g in th e content of a periodical in su l­ tin g compositions, w ritings or im ages was liable to a fine, w hich am ount depended on th e num b er of copies - up to 400 Polish m ark s for one copy (art. 533). The p e rp e tra to r of a n act foreseen in art. 530 & 532 m ight not be a subject to p enalty in th e case w hen th e in su lt resu lted from an equal or m ore serious violence on a person, or an equal or heavier in su lt on th e p a rt of th e victim . The p e rp e tra to r was not also liable to a penalty w hen the victim repaid th em w ith a n equal or heavier violence on a person or w ith such a n insult. This exclusion did not apply to th e situ a tio n w hen a police­ m an or an oth er g uard was offended while or in th e connexion w ith doing th e ir duties. The exclusion p ertain ed also to p riests (art. 536). The tru th fu l­ ness of the accusation dissem inated in th e in te re st of th e country or society, or in th e defense of personal good nam e or th a t of th e family, or a sufficient ground for acknowledging th e charge as tru th fu l constituted circum stances excluding penalization of a slan d erer (art. 537). However the evidence of the tru th fu ln e ss of th e charge could not be presented in th e case w hen the slan d er p ertain ed to th e h ead of an o th er country, an am bassador or some o th er diplom at. The evidence of th e tru th fu ln e ss of th e charge could also not be rep orted in th a t situ atio n , w hen th e indicated circum stance referred to a private or fam ily life of th e slandered, & publication w as m ade by the m eans of publicly presented p rin ts, w ritings or im ages or while a public pronouncem ent (art. 538). The court could also adjudge a publication of the sentence (“th e court is potent to publish”) in the case of finding th e p e rp e tra ­ to r guilty of the com m itted in su lt (art. 539)7.

7 A. M ogilnicki, E. Rappaport, P en a l code w ith s u p p le m e n ta r y s ta tu to r y a c ts issu e d till

1. S ep t. 1922, w ith a n in d ex & ju d g e m e n ts ’ a rg u m e n ta tio n o f the S u p e rio r C o u rt o f the R ep u b lic o f P o la n d . P a rlia m e n ta r y p e n a l a cts tem p o ra rily in force on the territo ry o f the fo rm e r R u s s ia n p a r titio n . Volume I, W arsaw 1923, pp. 3 8 9 -4 2 6 ; vide also W. M akowski, P e n a l code tem p o ra rily in force in the R ep u b lic o f P o la n d on the territory o f the fo rm e r R u s s ia n p a r titio n, Volume III, W arsaw 1922, pp. 2 0 9 -2 4 1 ; vide A. M ogilnicki, E. Rappaport, P e n a l code w ith su p p le m e n ta r y

s ta tu to r y a cts issu e d till 1. S ep t. 1927, w ith a n in d ex .S ta tu to r y p e n a l acts tem p o ra rily in forcefor th e ju d ic ia l regions o f the a p p ea l court in W arsaw, L u b lin & V iln a, Volume I, Warsaw 1928, pp. 4 2 0 -4 5 2 ; vide P e n a l code, w ithou t th e place of publication 1922, pp. 3 8 9 -4 2 6 ; vide N . Tagantsev, P e n a l code (22 M a rch 1903), W arsaw 1921, pp. 6 8 5 -7 2 1 ; vide A repetitory o f p e n a l

la w on the ba sis o f u n iv e rs ity lectures & m a n u a ls o f p ro fesso r J . M a rk ew ic z w ith a su p p le m e n t o f a b rid g e d versions in the fo r m o f e x a m in a tio n q u e stio n s, com piled by W iktor Br., Warsaw w ith ou t the year o f publication, pp. 9 9 -1 0 1 ; vide P en a l code tem p o ra rily in force in th e K in g d o m

o f P o la n d, W arsaw 1917, pp. 1 4 3-145; vide A. M ogilnicki, E. Rappaport, P en a l code tem p o ra rily in force in th e ju d ic ia l region o f the a p p e a l courts o f W arsaw & L u b lin a s w ell a s o f the E a s t la n d s in c lu d in g p e n a l reg u la tio n s a s foreseen in special p a rlia m e n ta r y a cts issu e d till 2 A u g u s t 1919 w ith e x p la n a tio n s & a n in d e x, W arsaw 1919, pp. 1 4 3 -1 4 6 .

P enalty legislation of th e p a rtitio n powers w as in force on th e territo ry of th e Second Republic till 1 Sept. 1932, w hen a Polish penal code came into force. Obviously before th e introduction of the code, workings were done which resu lte d in various project of th e penal code8. The penal code was published in th e form of th e decree of th e p residen t of the Republic from 11. J u n e 1932, & on 1 Sept. 1932 it came into force. The offences ag ainst a good nam e are com prised in C hap ter XXXVIII “In su lts”. Art. 255 § 1 penalized a slan d er w hich consisted in im puting to an oth er person to in s titu ­ tion & association, even if those were w ithout the sta tu s of legal person, such a conduct or proprieties, which could hum iliate th e above m entioned subjects in public opinion or expose th em to a loss of tru s t, needed for a given position, profession or sort of activity. A p e rp e tra to r of an im pu tation was liable to an a rre s t p enalty of up to 2 y ears & a fine9. To th e offence of a slan d er did not come if th e accusation w as tru th fu l. If though th e charge was m ade in public, th e evidence of th e tr u th could be conducted only then, w hen th e p e rp e tra to r acted in th e defense of justifiab le public or private in terest, both th e ir own or somebody’s else, & th e evidence did not p e rta in to th e circum stances of p riv ate or fam ily life (art. 255 § 2)10. The sentence was to be delivered & published in periodicals a t th e expense of the convict. The conviction w as conducted on a p riv ate accusation, & only in th e case of a defam ation of a functionary th e persecution could be in stitu te d on dem and of th e a u th o rity11. The code foresaw also th e offence of insu lt, w hich occur­ red, according to art. 256 § 1, in th e situ a tio n of offending th e good nam e of 8 In agreem en t w ith the project prepared by W. M akowski, the offence o f defam ation as regu lated in art. 117 consisted in offending a good nam e o f “a person directly in th eir presence or publicly is liable to arrest p en alty up to 6 m onths or to a fine”. In the case w h en the in su lt w as provoked by un law ful conduct o f th e insu lted, the court m ight acquit the perpetrator from a pu nish m en t. D efam ation w a s foreseen in art. 118 o f the Project. D efam ation should con sist in charging a person w ith a conduct or proprieties w h ich m ight h u m iliate them in public opinion or such a conduct or proprieties. D efam ation w a s also to con sist in d issem in ation of circum stan­ ces w h ich m ight h u m ilia te a person in public opinion or devoid th em o f tru st needed to hold a certain post or to do a profession. The perpetrator o f defam ation w a s liab le o f im prisonm ent up to 1 year. In the case w h en the perpetrator kn ew th at the im putation w as not true, the im prisonm ent w as prolonged to 3 years. Public defam ation caused the duty of the perpetrator to publish the sentence at their own expense. The perpetrator w as not liable to penalty for im puta­ tion w h en th ey proved the truthfu ln ess of the charge & acted in the defense o f a justifiable public or private interest, according to A n intro d u cto ry p roject o f the d eta iled p a r t o f P en a l code p repared

on the order o f the Sectio n o f P en a l L a w o f the C odification C om m ittee, the C odification C o m m it­ tee o f the R ep u b lic o f P oland, the Section o f P en a l L a w, Volume IV, in stallm en t I w ithou t the place

of publication, pp. 36-38. Following codification rem arks w ere presented in T he p roject o f the

d eta iled p a r t o f P en a l Code in the fo rm accepted in the fir s t re a d in g by the Section o f P en a l L a w o f the C odification C om m ittee o f the R ep u b lic o f P o la n d , the Codification C om m ittee o f the R epu­

blic of Poland, th e Section of P en al Law, Volume IV, in sta llm en t III, Lwow 1929, pp. 9 8 -1 0 1 . 9 J. M akarewicz, P e n a l code w ith c o m m e n ts, Lwow 1932, p. 300.

10 J. N isenson, M. Siew ierski, P en a l code & the la w on co n tra ven tio n, Warsaw 1935, p. 177. 11 Z. W usatow ski, P en a l code. T h e la w on d e lin q u en cies & th e reg u la tio n s in tr o d u c in g

106 M a łg o r z a ta S z w e jk o w s k a , R o b e r t D z ie m b o w s k i

an o th er person, both in th e ir presence or absence. The p e rp e tra to r h ad to act publicly or w ith th e in ten tio n to m ake th e offence arrive a t th e offended. An in su lt was liable to an a rre s t p enalty up to 1 y ear or to a fine. If th e offence resu lte d from a provocative conduct of th e offended, or if th e offended reci­ procated w ith an offence or w ith a battery, the court m ight acquit the p erpe­ tra to r (art. 256 § 2). Sim ilarly as it was in th e case of the offence of defam a­ tion th e persecution was carried out on a private accusation, except when a functionary was offended because of th e ir duties. In th is situ a tio n the persecution could be in itia ted on th e dem and of the superior a u th o rity1 2.

It is w orth noting th a t th e regulations on defam ation & insult, as well as th e en tire Pen al code rem ained till th e tim e of coming into force th e next P en al code of 1969.13 C ertainly also in th is case th ere were th e projects of a new P enal code1 4. The Pen al code of 1969 regulated offences again st a good nam e in C hapter XXIV “Offences ag ain st good nam e & bodily inviola­ bility”. The offence of a slan d er was reg u lated in art. 178. According to § 1 of th is article, an offence consisted in an im p u tatio n of an o th er person, a group of people or a n in stitu tio n about such a conduct or properties, which could h um iliate th em in public opinion or en d anger w ith a loss of tru s t needed for a given social environm ent, profession or sort of activity. The p e rp e tra to r of th e im p u tatio n was liable to im prisonm ent of up o 2 y ears, to th e p en alty of restric te d liberty or to a fine. If a person brought forth or m ade public an u n tru th fu l charge aim ing a t hum iliatio n of th e above m entioned subjects in public opinion or a t endangering them w ith a loss of confidence, th ey were liable to im prisonm ent of up o 3 years (art. 178 § 2). P ersecution of the offence of defam ation was in itia ted by a p rivate dem and. A court could adjudge for th e benefit of th e victim , th e Polish Red Cross or for some other social purpose a sup p lem en tary fine form 50015 to 5,000 zlotys1 6. According to art. 179 § 1 of th e Pen al code of 1969 th e tru th fu ln e ss (or its aw areness) of non-publicly m ade charge excluded th e unlaw fulness of th e deed. In th e case of tru th fu ln e ss of the charge m ade publicly th e deed of th e p e rp e tra to r was not illegal, if th ey acted in th e defense of th e socially justifiable in te re st (or h ad th is conviction) or acted in th e conviction th a t the accusation was tru e

12 Z. H ofm okl-Ostrow ski, P en a l code & ju r is d ic tio n o f the S u p re m e C o u rt, W arsaw 1935, p. 256 o f the P en al code - 1.

13 M. Andrełowicz (compiled), P en a l code, K ościan 1945, pp. 5 9 -6 0 ; vide J. N isenson, M. Siewierski, P en a l code a n d the law on delinquencies, Częstochowa 1945, pp. 247-259; vide P enal

code. T he law on delinquencies. M ore im p o rta n t state p a rlia m en ta ry acts, Warsaw 1949, pp. 43-44; vide J. Fajnberg, M. Leonieni, P en a l code w ith ju ris d ic tio n o f the p re -w a r p e rio d, W arsaw 1956, pp. 2 5 3-267; vide P e n a l code a n d the la w on d e lin q u en cies, W arsaw 1961, pp. 6 7 -6 8 ; vide M. Siew ierski, P en a l code a n d the la w on delinquencies. C o m m en ts, W arsaw 1965, pp. 3 2 8 -3 4 3 .

14 Vide A p ro ject o f P e n a l code & the la w in tr o d u c in g P en a l code, W arsaw 1968, pp. 5 1 -5 2 . 15 The am ount in § 3 w ere changed by the parliam entary act o f 10 M ay 1985 (Journal of L aw s No 23, pt. 100) for the am oun t from 5,000 to 50,000 zlotys.

& th ey defended a socially justifiab le cause17. The court could order on the dem and of th e victim th e publication of th e sentence m ade on th e basis of art. 179 § 2 in th e work in stitu tio n of th e accused & th e victim , as well as in a periodical or in other ap p ro p riate way (art. 180)1 8. The code of 1969 penalized also th e offence of insult. It w as described in art. 181 § 1. An in su lt was an a tte m p t on a good nam e of a person. It consisted in in su ltin g of a n o th er person in th e ir presence or absence, b u t publicly or w ith th e in te n ­ tion to m ake it arrive a t th is person. A p e rp e tra to r of an in su lt was liable to im prisonm ent of up to 1 year, to th e p enalty of restricted liberty or to a fine. If th e in su lt resu lted from a provocative conduct of th e in su lted or w hen the insu lted rep aid w ith a b a tte ry or an in sult, th e court could resigned from inflicting a penalty. Sim ilarly as in th e case of defam ation also in an in su lt th e persecution was in itia ted on th e private dem and19.

The penal code of 1969 was in force till 31 A ugust 19982 0. On 1 Sept. 1998 th e p resently valid Penal code of 6 J u n e 1997 came into force2 1.

S tr e s z c z e n ie

O ch ron a dobrego im ie n ia w ko d ek sa ch k a rn ych w 1918-1997

Słow a klucze: zn iesław ien ie, p rzestępstw o, dobre im ię, K odeks karny.

Artykuł prezentuje zmieniające się normy ochrony dobrego imienia w p ra ­ wie karnym na terytorium Polski na przestrzeni 80 lat. Autorzy prezentują przepisy stosow ane po odrodzeniu pań stw a polskiego, obowiązujące n a te re ­ nach byłych zaborów: austriackiego, rosyjskiego i pruskiego. W dalszej części arty ku łu ukazano przepisy praw a karnego regulujące ochronę dobrego imienia w kodeksie karnym z 1932 r. Regulacje te obowiązywały aż do 1969 r., kiedy to wprowadzono zupełnie nowy kodeks karny, a tym sam ym zm ianie uległy regulacje dotyczące ochrony dobrego im ienia. P rzepisy kodeksu karnego z 1969 r. obowiązywały do roku 1998, kiedy to wszedł w życie obecnie obo­ w iązujący kodeks k arn y z 1997 r.

17 I. Andrejew, W. Sw ida, W. Wolter, P e n a l code w ith a c o m m e n t, W arsaw 1973, p. 520. 18 R. Góral, P en a l code. J u r is d ic tio n & lite r a tu r e, W arsaw 1974, p. 178.

19 I. Andrejew, The P o lish p e n a l la w in s k e tc h, W arsaw 1976, pp. 3 8 1 -3 8 3 ; vide also P en a l

code & the in tro d u cto ry re g u la tio n s, W arsaw 1969, pp. 5 9 -6 0 ; vide also J. Sliw ow ski, P e n a l la w,

W arsaw 1979, pp. 4 0 5 -4 0 6 .

20 I. Andrejew, P e n a l code. A sh o r t c o m m e n t, W arsaw 1988, pp. 1 5 7 -1 6 2 .

21 The workings on a new Penal code w ere conducted considerably earlier. A good exam ple of it m ay be a Project o f the P enal code created in the Committee for the Reform of Penal Law (Team of Material & M ilitary Penal Law) in the edition from October 1990, in which the offence against good nam e & bodily inviolability were regulated in Chapter XXVII of the project (art. 211 - slander, art. 216 - insult). The construction of offences’ regu lations ag a in st good nam e in the project w as very sim ilar to th ese regu lation s w h ich cam e into force in the new P en al code o f 1997.