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Alerts - Poland

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Poland

ARTICLE 19 calls on president to veto media law

ARTICLE 19 issued an open letter to the Polish President urging him not to promulgate the country’s new Law on Public Activity within the Sphere of Media Services.

Poland

Two newspaper editors to be held in police custody for 48 hours prior to libel trial

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned legislation that enabled a Warsaw court on 30 October 2007 to order that the editor of the national weekly "Gazeta Polska", Tomasz Sakiewicz, and his deputy, Katarzyna Hejke, should be held in police custody for two days prior to the start of a libel trial on 14 December in order, the court said, to ensure they attend.

Poland

Les services spéciaux arrêtent l'ex-ministre qui a dénoncé les mises sur écoutes de journalistes

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters sans frontières a appris, le 30 août 2007, que les services spéciaux étaient entrés, tôt dans la matinée, dans l'appartement du journaliste indépendant Sylwester Latkowski afin d'y interpeller, pour "entrave à la justice", l'ancien ministre de l'Intérieur, Janusz Kaczmarek. Il est poursuivi dans le cadre d'une enquête sur une fuite concernant une opération anticorruption du ministère de l'Agriculture. Limogé début août, il avait déclaré, le 22 août, devant une commission parlementaire chargée d'évaluer les activités des services spéciaux, que le ministre de la Justice, Zbigniew Ziobro, et le Premier ministre, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, avaient fait mettre sur écoutes de nombreux journalistes, critiques à l'égard du gouvernement.

Poland

Secret services arrest former minister who exposed phone tapping

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has learned that members of the special services entered the apartment of freelance journalist Sylwester Latkowski in the early hours of 30 August 2007 in order to arrest former interior minister Janusz Kaczmarek in connection with a leak about an anti-corruption operation.

Poland

Ex-minister accuses intelligence services of tapping journalists' phones

(RSF/IFEX) - Former government member Janusz Kaczmarek, who was fired as interior minister in early August 2007, reportedly told a behind-closed-doors meeting of the parliamentary commission for the secret services on 22 August that the phones of journalists critical of the government were tapped on the orders of justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro and Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

Poland

Journalist sentenced to six months' imprisonment, fined for defaming judge

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a 23 July 2007 IPI letter to Polish President Lech Kaczynski:

Poland

Spanish daily and Catalan feminist face trial in Wroclaw for "defaming Poland"

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has condemned a lawsuit that was brought against the Spanish daily "El País" in the southwestern city of Wroclaw on 5 June 2007 accusing it of "defaming the Polish people" in an article by former Spanish parliamentarian Pilar Rahola entitled "Poland still freezes the soul" that was published on 17 March.

Poland

New "vetting" law may have serious impact on media, says IPI

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI press release:

Poland

Government proposes law censoring discussion of homosexuality in schools, academic institutions

(HRW/IFEX) - The following is a 19 March 2007 Human Rights Watch press release:

Poland

Court halts appeal by editor facing imprisonment for libel; IPI urges presidential pardon

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a 22 January 2007 IPI letter to Polish President Lech Kaczyński:

Poland

Constitutional courts uphold defamation as a criminal offence: journalist Andrzej Marek could be sent back to prison

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the Polish constitutional court's decision to uphold Article 212 of the Criminal Code, under which defaming or publicly humiliating someone is punishable by up to a year in prison, or two years if done in the media.

Poland

Pressure on German journalists continues in wake of article making fun of Polish president

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has expressed alarm at the Polish government's campaign against the German daily "Die Tageszeitung" and its reporter Peter Kohler, who wrote an article last month poking fun at President Lech Kaczynski and Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who are identical twin brothers.

Poland

Police shut down neo-fascist website that threatened journalists

(RSF/IFEX) - On 5 July 2006, police closed the Polish website of Redwatch, an international neo-fascist group based in the United States. The http://www.redwatch.info/sites/redwatch.htm site had posted the names of at least 17 journalists, calling them "traitors to the race" and threatening them with reprisals for their anti-fascist views. The Polish authorities also shut down http://www.bhpoland.org/strona/pl, the website of Blood and Honour, another far-right group.

Poland

Government demands closure of far-right website

(RSF/IFEX) - On 28 May 2006, the Polish government called on US authorities to shut down the far-right Internet website Redwatch, which is run from the United States, a government spokesman said. The move follows a 24 May appeal by RSF to Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro to investigate far-right Polish groups, such as "Blood and Honour", that are publicised by Redwatch.

Poland

Threats to 15 journalists appear on neo-fascist website

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has written to Polish justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro to alert him to serious threats being made against Polish journalists by Redwatch, an extreme right-wing group that advocates violence. Redwatch-Poland ( http://www.redwatch.info/sites/redwatch.htm ) has posted a list of 15 left-wing and far-left journalists and directly threatened them with reprisals for their anti-fascist views.

Poland

Journalist released after imprisonment for libel

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Poland

Journalist begins 3-month jail term for criminal libel

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a CPJ press release:

Poland

IPI urges repeal of prison sentence against editor for libel

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to President Lech Kaczynski and Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro:

Poland

IPI concerned about legal actions aimed at intimidating "Polityka"'s staff

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski:

Poland

IPI worried about recent civil legal actions against the media

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to President Aleksander Kwasniewski:

Poland

IPI concerned at treatment of "Rzeczpospolita" editor-in-chief

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to President Aleksander Kwasniewski:

Poland

Journalist faces prison for refusing to reveal sources

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned a court order requiring Maciej Mikolajczyk, an investigative journalist with the satirical weekly "Nie", to hand over his computer hard disk by 5 September 2005.

Poland

Police arrest Indymedia contributor and accuse him of assaulting an officer

(RSF/IFEX) - On 16 May 2005, Grzegorz Prujszyk, a student contributor to the Indymedia Poland website, was arrested and mistreated by police after filming an anti-war demonstration in Warsaw.

Poland

Radio editor faces possible suspension over live debate about the Pope

(RSF/IFEX) - Management of the state-run Polskie Radio have announced their decision to suspend editor Pawel Sito after he staged a live radio debate in which some young listeners criticised the late Pope John Paul II. The journalist's dismissal is still being discussed within the broadcast company.

Poland

Reporter for "Poland Monthly" magazine target of judicial harassment campaign

(WPFC/IFEX) - The following is a 21 April 2005 WPFC press release:

Poland

Publisher of weekly magazine fined

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI press release:

Poland

Prosecutor requests suspended prison sentence for "offensive" editorial about the pope

(RSF/IFEX) - The prosecution of satirical newspaper editor Jerzy Urban for an editorial about Pope John Paul II could set "a dangerous precedent for a European Union member state," RSF has warned.

Poland

Publisher and editor faces criminal charges

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to President Aleksander Kwasniewski:

Poland

IFJ voices concern over number of legal actions against reporters and independent media

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Poland

Journalist sentenced to three months in prison for defamation; RSF calls for presidential pardon

(RSF/IFEX) - On 22 June 2004, the Warsaw Supreme Court upheld a three-month prison sentence against Andrzej Marek, editor-in-chief of local weekly "Wiesci Polickie", for libelling a local official.

Poland

Journalist sentenced to one month in prison for libel

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is a 7 May 2004 IPI letter to Minister of Justice Marek Sadowski:

Poland

Journalist's prison sentence postponed following protests

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 23 March 2004 CPJ press release:

Poland

RSF appeals for presidential pardon for journalist sentenced to prison term

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has urged Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski to grant journalist Andrzej Marek a presidential pardon. Marek was earlier sentenced to three months in prison with no parole for "defamation".

Poland

Journalist given three-month jail sentence for libelling local official

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has condemned the confirmation of a three-month prison sentence imposed on provincial journalist Andrzej Marek for libelling a local official. The organisation called on the Polish Parliament to amend the country's defamation laws and asked that Marek's sentence be dropped.

Poland

IFJ condemns gag order on two independent publications

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ media release:

Poland

IPI condemns authorities' continued legal persecution and harassment of publishing company

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI statement:

Poland

IPI condemns interrogation of two members of publisher's management board

(IPI/IFEX) - The following is an IPI letter to Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller and Justice Minister Grzegorz Kurczuk:

Poland

WAN creates legal commission to monitor court cases brought against publishing company

Poland

IPI condemns legal persecution and harassment of publishing company

Poland

Government launches legal harassment campaign against independent newspaper

Poland

European journalists accuse government of "political manipulation" over advertising ban

Poland

Two radio stations lose their broadcasting licences

Poland

WAN condemns persecution of editors and publishers

Poland

IFJ warns of crisis of confidence over media policy

Poland

IPI concerned over government's recent decision to pass restrictive broadcasting law

Poland

Poland's leading independent newspapers subject to legal harassment, attempts to undermine their financial independence

Poland

IPI concerned over charges brought against three members of Presspublica managing board

Poland

Journalist Jerzy Slavomir Mac reported missing

Poland

Editor of "Gazeta Wyborcza" sentenced to prison