The Press Freedom Monitoring Center (CMWP) of the Polish Journalists Association (SDP) has strongly protested the infringement of freedom of speech by Prosecutor Anna Adamiak. The prosecutor has filed a defamation lawsuit under Article 212 of the Polish Penal Code against journalist Michał Jelonek for posing a question during a press conference with then-Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The CMWP views this as an attempt to intimidate journalists and impose unconstitutional preventive censorship.
The case revolves around a question Jelonek, a reporter for Telewizja Republika, asked Tusk regarding Prosecutor General Adam Bodnar and whether his authority was based on reinstating Prosecutor Adamiak, who had been involved in the controversial detention of Belarusian opposition leader Ales Bialacki. Prosecutor Adamiak filed a lawsuit, claiming the question was defamatory.
The CMWP emphasizes that such actions threaten the principle of press freedom, enshrined in both Polish law and international human rights conventions. It argues that criminal charges against journalists for asking difficult questions undermine free debate and create a chilling effect on media freedom.
The organization has vowed to monitor the case and provide legal assistance to Jelonek, calling the situation a grave violation of democratic values and a dangerous precedent for journalistic independence in Poland.