“Police can suddenly burst into any of our homes, take control of our house or apartment, and possibly even put us in handcuffs. Why? Because there was a report claiming that a child at that address was in danger. SHOCKING,” wrote Dr. hab. Hanna Karp, deputy chair of Poland’s National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT), on social media.
In recent days, a series of police interventions and what have been described as strange provocations targeting individuals connected to TV Republika have taken place. The incident that sparked the greatest public reaction was Friday’s forced police entry into the apartment of the station’s editor-in-chief, Tomasz Sakiewicz, during which officers handcuffed his assistant.
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Following the incident, numerous voices of support emerged from parts of the media community. Organizations involved in defending freedom of speech and media independence have also expressed concern.
“There can be no tolerance for such behavior, and by every means available to us, we will demand that these actions cease and that all circumstances surrounding them be fully clarified. This also includes preventive measures to ensure that similar situations simply do not happen again,”
Joanna Hajdasz, president of the Polish Journalists Association (SDP), told the Niezalezna.pl portal.
The first reactions from members of the National Broadcasting Council have also appeared on social media.
As early as Friday, a statement was published on KRRiT’s official profile saying that the Council’s chairwoman, Dr. Agnieszka Glapiak, “expects the relevant services to provide a full explanation of the intervention, especially in light of media reports suggesting that it was an operation targeting the editorial staff of TV Republika.”
“We remind everyone that freedom of speech and the freedom to practice journalism are fundamental principles of a democratic state and must be protected,”
the statement added.
Dr. hab. Hanna Karp, deputy chair of KRRiT, also posted a brief reflection on social media regarding the series of troubling events involving TV Republika.
“Police can suddenly burst into any of our homes, take control of our house or apartment, and possibly even put us in handcuffs. Why? Because there was a report claiming that a child at that address was in danger. SHOCKING,”
she wrote.