Europe's rights watchdog tells Poland to change definition of rape

FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators attend a protest against a decision restricting abortion rights in Warsaw, Poland, January 29, 2021. REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Poland must change its legal definition of rape to better protect women, Europe's top rights watchdog said on Thursday in the latest challenge to the country's ruling nationalists over human rights and democratic values.

Despite mass protests, the government led by the socially conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party has tightened already restrictive anti-abortion laws in the European Union member state, introducing a de-facto ban on terminating pregnancies.