Which Spanish journalist was analyzing the situation in Poland so thoroughly that, upon seeing the draft of a new law, he picked up the phone and called then-judge Waldemar Żurek? A specific press piece by Pablo González Yagüe s circulating online – in Poland better known as Pavel Alekseyevich Rubtsov.
A short fragment of an interview given by then-judge of the Kraków District Court and then-member of the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), Waldemar Żurek, to TOK FM radio, is now spreading widely.
The conversation took place on May 19, 2016 – shortly after Law and Justice (PiS) won the elections and passed a law on the Constitutional Tribunal (TK), which, among other things, introduced a requirement for the repeated election of judges to the Tribunal.
In the interview, Żurek argued that European institutions were right to react to the situation surrounding the Polish Constitutional Tribunal. He recalled that as soon as the draft law proposed by PiS appeared, “I got a phone call immediately from Spain, from an important journalist.” It is possible that, purely by coincidence, in that same year – 2016 – the Spanish (Basque) portal naiz.eus published an article by a supposedly Spanish journalist devoted to “Polish democracy, which has found itself in trouble.” The author? Well known in Poland under two identities – Pablo González Yagüe, also known as Pavel Rubtsov.
What did the Russian spy, who was already operating under journalistic cover at that time, write?
“A Central European country has been drifting into authoritarianism since the Law and Justice party came to power in October of last year. Scandals surrounding the populist-conservative government are multiplying one after another, both domestically and abroad,” he reported.
He also accused the then-new government of conflicts with European Union institutions and of xenophobic statements directed at “refugees” from the Middle East and Africa.
The issue is increasingly resonating across social media, and more questions are being raised. So far, the Minister of Justice has not commented on the interview Żurek gave nine years ago.
Questions are being asked by lawyers associated with the Lawyers for Poland Association (Prawnicy dla Polski):
“Who was the brave Spanish journalist to whom Waldemar Żurek – then a judge, formerly a member and spokesperson of the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS) – described the intricacies of public life in Poland?
Did Waldemar Żurek’s contacts with the legendary Spanish journalist contribute to the destruction of the genuine and thorough reform of the judiciary designed by Deputy Minister of Justice Łukasz Piebiak?
Are the legislative drafts currently endorsed by the Ministry of Justice under Waldemar Żurek, which decapitate the independence of the judiciary, the separation of powers, and judicial impartiality, a consequence of conversations with the brave Spanish journalist?”
The spy Pavel Rubtsov was released from Polish custody as part of a prisoner exchange between Western countries and Russia, and at the end of July last year he left Poland – whereupon, at the airport, he was greeted by… Vladimir Putin. Rubcow operated, among other places, in Poland, using his journalistic status (posing as the Spaniard Pablo Gonzalez) to gather information in Ukraine for Russian intelligence services. His goal also included gaining the trust of Russian opposition figures. In Poland, he formed close relationships with women, including Magdalena Ch., a journalist who moved in elite circles and was also present at the TVP headquarters during the illegal takeover of public media.