More than a month after the police intervention at the home of TV Republika CEO Tomasz Sakiewicz, it remains unclear whether the legally required search warrant decision was ever delivered. This was revealed today by Law and Justice (PiS) MP Mariusz Gosek, who, after receiving a response from the prosecutor’s office, announced further legal steps. At the same time, he filed a notification concerning the assistant to the head of TV Republika, who was handcuffed during the May operation and has now herself been summoned to the police as a suspect.
In mid-May, police officers forced their way into the home of TV Republika CEO Tomasz Sakiewicz. The officers did not identify themselves and handcuffed a woman who demanded that they do so – the assistant to the head of TV Republika – and then carried out a search of the apartment without a warrant. The intervention at the premises concerned a report of a child’s attempted suicide. It was one of dozens of incidents involving false reports targeting journalists and employees of the station.
A few days after the incident, Mariusz Gosek, a Law and Justice (PiS) MP, went to the District Prosecutor’s Office in Warsaw with a parliamentary intervention.
“Specifically, this concerns a violation of Article 220 § 3 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Even when police officers – who behaved as if they were impostors, especially one of those men – enter an apartment, in this case the home of the editor-in-chief and CEO of TV Republika, Tomasz Sakiewicz, and do not deliver the appropriate decision because, as the spokesperson indicated, the action was urgent, they are obliged within seven days – and this deadline is strict and cannot be exceeded – to deliver the appropriate decision approved by a prosecutor,” said Gosek outside the prosecutor’s office.
The politician received a response only yesterday – June 16.
A few days ago, Niezalezna reported on the actions taken by the services against Tomasz Sakiewicz’s assistant. Ms. Aleksandra, who was handcuffed during the police visit to the apartment, which also serves as the office of the TV Republika CEO, has been summoned to a police station. She is to appear there “as a suspect” because she did not identify herself.
Another parliamentary intervention. Gosek: we will monitor this case
This situation became the reason for another parliamentary intervention by Mariusz Gosek. “This is a continuation of the actions we are taking as the Law and Justice parliamentary club and as an MP acting on behalf of the Law and Justice club for the sake of media freedom and freedom of speech. This concerns what has been happening and continues to happen recently, including in connection with TV Republika, editor-in-chief Tomasz Sakiewicz, TV Republika journalists Piotr Nisztor, editor Adrian Klarenbach, and other employees of the station,” said the politician.
“Today we are filing another notification concerning Ms. Aleksandra, the director of the office and assistant to CEO Tomasz Sakiewicz. In our opinion, she was deprived of her liberty because her freedom of movement was restricted. This constitutes a prohibited act. Everyone saw Ms. Aleksandra handcuffed behind her back. Her freedom was temporarily restricted, and she was then brought out and presented by police officers to people gathered at the scene. People had gathered there because an ambulance and a police car were parked in front of the building. In our assessment, her dignity was also violated,” explained the PiS MP.
As Gosek added – “in connection with this, we will also submit another letter to the Ombudsman. We are also filing 10 motions for evidence concerning Ms. Aleksandra, requesting that the prosecutor’s office carry out appropriate actions in this regard.”
“It cannot be the case that Ms. Aleksandra, who in this situation is the injured party – and repeatedly so throughout the entire sequence of events involving police actions – is ultimately summoned by the Polish police as a suspect. This is an absurd situation. Charges are being attempted against a person who was also exposed to a loss of dignity due to what happened. That is precisely why we are filing this notification. In this matter, we will expect a response from the prosecutor’s office,” he added.
He also stated that “yesterday I received a response to our earlier letter concerning editor-in-chief Tomasz Sakiewicz. In that response, I was informed – one month after the incident, which, let me remind you, took place on May 15, while the letter is dated June 16 – that to this day it has not been established whether the decision to search Tomasz Sakiewicz’s home was delivered to him. Meanwhile, Article 220 § 3 of the Code of Criminal Procedure states that such a decision should be delivered immediately.”
“I have been in contact with the editor-in-chief and to this day, more than a month later, he has not received such a decision. This is also why we are filing another notification concerning Ms. Aleksandra,” he reported in an interview with TV Republika.
He emphasized – “as we announced, we will monitor this case and we will safeguard media freedom and freedom of speech.”