Zbigniew Ziobro
Zbigniew Tadeusz Ziobro (born 18 August 1970 in Kraków) is a Polish politician who has held several major roles. He served as Poland’s Minister of Justice and Public Prosecutor General from 2015 to 2023, and he previously held the Justice portfolio from 2005 to 2007. He was also a member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2014.
Ziobro studied law at Jagiellonian University in Kraków. He has been a longtime member of the Law and Justice party (with a period in Sovereign Poland from 2012 to 2024). He is married to Patrycja Kotecka and has two children.
Known for his hard-line stance against corruption, Ziobro led reforms of Poland’s judiciary that made him a highly visible and polarizing figure. Supporters see him as a principled reformer, while critics accuse him of politicizing the judiciary. He gained wide attention in 2006 when he was named “Man of the Year” by a Polish magazine.
In 2023, he was succeeded as Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General by Marcin Warchoł. Ziobro has taken contentious positions toward the European Union, sometimes criticizing EU rulings and saying Poland should not stay in the EU at any cost.
Ziobro holds traditional Catholic views and is opposed to the Istanbul Convention and same-sex marriage. In 2021 his ministry proposed a bill to ban adoption by same-sex couples, arguing for traditional family values. He has stated that Poland should remain in the EU, but not on every term.
In 2025 he faced arrest over allegations related to the alleged use of Pegasus spyware to monitor journalists and politicians. In 2026 Hungary granted him political asylum, and he faces multiple ongoing investigations (reported as 26 charges).
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:50 (CET).