“The main project currently being targeted by the government is the Academy of Democracy, which received funding from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister (KPRM) in 2023. The project aimed to train a large number of people on voting rights to ensure that elections are conducted fairly. We may be forced to return those funds due to an administrative order from the KPRM to block our account,” said Joanna Jenerowicz, President of the Independent Media Foundation, during a session of the Parliamentary Committee for Counteracting Lawlessness – Safe Poland.
Attack on the Independent Media Foundation
TV Republika, a media outlet defending freedom of speech and media independence, has come under attack by state structures tied to Donald Tusk’s government. The target of this assault is the Independent Media Foundation, which has thus far managed viewer and donor contributions.
The threat of the foundation’s account being frozen has forced the station’s management to take protective measures. The station’s leadership is now urging donations to be made to a new TV Republika bank account. The goal of this change is to ensure the complete security of funds that viewers dedicate to developing the House of Free Speech.
The attack on the Independent Media Foundation was discussed today by the organization’s president, Joanna Jenerowicz, during a session of the Parliamentary Committee for Counteracting Lawlessness – Safe Poland.
“There are countless foundations like mine. I’m also in touch with other foundations and associations that are facing repression and are being harassed non-stop through endless inspections, audits, and inquiries from various institutions. Practically every person or company that has worked with me in recent years is now being questioned by the police – inquiries that are completely unfounded – with only three days to respond. This completely disrupts the functioning of these institutions. We have a very small team, and the number of responses we need to prepare is so overwhelming that the foundation can no longer function according to its statutory goals, as for the past two years it has been constantly forced to explain itself, often over the same issues. Each new institution demands the same documents, which have to be copied and signed. In this way, it’s very easy to legally destroy small organizations,”
she said.
She reminded listeners that “The Independent Media Foundation was established in 2009 to support media development in Poland – including the press, radio, television, and online portals – to assist journalists in legal proceedings and foster civil society.” She then explained what the 13 December coalition government used as a pretext to attack the foundation.
“The main project under attack by the current government is the Academy of Democracy, funded by the KPRM in 2023. It aimed to train a large number of people on voting rights to ensure that elections were conducted fairly. We can now see how important that is to the current authorities. They should appreciate that the foundation conducted such training. The first audit began in February 2024, checking every document. Auditors were very surprised and demanded to know which political party participants belonged to. They couldn’t believe we didn’t keep such statistics. Anyone could join – on the street, via hotline or online. Nobody’s political views were checked. During the audit, I repeatedly felt pressured to admit that I had tracked such information. Had I done that, I would have breached the contract. The project was fully implemented and settled. On 8 December 2023, we received confirmation from the KPRM that the contract had been fulfilled, the funds accounted for, and the settlement closed. Yet the KPRM initiated another audit, rechecking every document. At the same time, the National Revenue Administration (KAS) also requested the same documents,”
Jenerowicz said.
She added that “In the end, the KPRM acknowledged that the project was implemented properly, and that the funds were spent according to plan.”
“We actually trained far more people than initially planned. Today, the KPRM claims we must return the funds because we had no right to receive them. When submitting our offer to the KPRM, I cited the foundation’s statutory objectives. Our charter was attached to the offer, so the KPRM was fully aware of what was in the documents, awarded us the funds, signed the agreement, we fulfilled that agreement, it was settled – and now we’re being told we received the money without justification. This is devastating because we no longer have those funds; they were fully spent. We may be forced to return the funds due to an administrative order from the KPRM to freeze our account. If that happens, the foundation will cease to exist, because we have no way to return the money. This is effectively an attempt to eliminate the foundation,”
she emphasized.
She also noted that in her opinion, the attack on the Independent Media Foundation is closely tied to the significant support her organization has provided to TV Republika.
“We know how the current authorities view TV Republika: attempts to revoke its license or shut down the station. The Independent Media Foundation, thanks to donors who passionately wanted to support the station by channeling their contributions through the foundation – these were hundreds of thousands of transfers – had to step away from supporting TV Republika to avoid the risk of those public contributions being seized by the KPRM. That would be incredibly unfair to those people. I see this as a direct attack and a step toward dismantling independent media. I am in total shock at how foundations are being treated today,”
she stated.