“I worked for eight years for this state, fulfilling my duties diligently and conscientiously, and I was treated like the worst kind of thug, like the worst terrorist,” said Anna Wójcik—who was detained for two months—during an appearance on TV Republika. She asserted that “extractive detention” (temporary detention intended to force testimony) destroyed her life.
On April 3, Wójcik was released from custody in Katowice. She had been held for about two months in connection with an investigation into alleged irregularities at the Governmental Agency for Strategic Reserves. As previously reported, her arrest had severe consequences for her disabled son, a 13-year-old who even attempted suicide.
Wójcik appeared on TV Republika on Monday, where she spoke bluntly about what she says the current authorities have done to her.
“Believe me, our life has been turned to rubble. What the current ruling coalition did to me on December 13 ruined my family—my extended family—because this supposed attack directed at me also affected all of them. A child’s well-being is paramount. I expect the Polish state to uphold the principle that certain values are inviolable, and the state—here, I’m addressing Minister Bodnar, Prime Minister Tusk, and the prosecutors—simply ruined my life, ruined my children’s lives. This trauma may stay with my children for years,”
she said.
She added that she herself can find a way to cope, but, “Who is going to help me rebuild these relationships now, help my children recover psychologically?”
Wójcik noted that authorities could have imposed different measures. “They used the harshest option—keeping a mother of two children in custody for over two months, ruining my life. What was the purpose? What was it for?”
She recalled telling TV Republika in her first interview that she is strong and refuses to give up. “It’s very difficult for me now… psychologically I’m really struggling, but I will fight for my son. I’ll fight for my children, because that’s my priority at this point.”
“Let me add something about these so-called ‘extractive detentions’… You can’t treat some people this way. Such arrests should be reserved for the worst criminals, those who pose a real threat. I worked for eight years for this country, doing my job reliably, and I was treated like the worst thug, the worst terrorist… in the name of what? Because you wanted me to say something—anything—about my superiors. That’s what it all boiled down to. But you destroyed everything dear to me and every value I held.”
Wójcik thanked TV Republika, its president, Tomasz Sakiewicz, and all of the station’s viewers for their support. She also expressed gratitude to Joanna Jenerowicz, president of the Independent Media Foundation, who paid the bail that enabled her release.