Über einen befreundeten polnischen Journalisten, der gleichfalls von den Kaczynski-Brüdern und seiner Partei verfolgt wird, habe ich diesen offenen Brief eines Fernsehjournalisten erhalten, der nach allem was ich weiß, eine realistische Schilderung über den Zustand der Pressefreiheit und die Verfolgung von Kritikern der “Kartoffel -Brüder”- Herrschaft der Kaczynskis liefert.
Polen gehört der EU an. Die EU und das Europäische Parlament kümmern sich im Medienbereich um alles, was die Kommerzialisierung der Medien betrifft – bis hin zur Zulassung von product placements im Fernsehen. Nur um die Meinungsfreiheit in Europa scheint man sich nicht zu kümmern. Wir dokumentieren den Offenen Brief des Fernsehjournalisten Witold Krasucki. Wolfgang Lieb.

Witold Krasucki
Television journalist
Warsaw
Poland
[email protected]
t: +48 601 600 952

Warsaw, 7-Dec-06

To: The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Dear Sirs,

I am writing this letter as a last resort asking for support in the face of an unprecedented campaign that has been directed at me by the top government politicians in Poland.

I am a TV journalist who was awarded on many occasions in the field of TV reportage in Poland. In 2001, I prepared a two-episode TV package aired by the Polish Public Television disclosing allegations that some Polish politicians were using public budget money for their party’s activities in an illegal way. The programme focused on the ways in which post-communist money was used by the Kaczynskis’ party in the 1990s. I carried out a thorough research beforehand interviewing lots of relevant people and acquiring important documents.

Right after the airing the programme I became an object of a fierce attack of the politicians form the Kaczynskis’ party and the journalists who sympathized with them. Very soon I became alone and condemned by many journalistic circles in Poland who did not make any effort to analyze the situation critically. Since then (it has been almost 6 years now) I have experienced an unprecedented avalanche of black PR which disabled me from working anywhere, destroyed my personal and professional life. Now, with the Kaczynskis in power this attack is taking yet another step forward. The prosecutor’s office directed by the Minister of Justice (member of the Kaczynski government) is about to charge me with “trying to persuade one of my former interviewees to tell untrue defamatory stories about the Kaczysnki brothers in 2005”. The fact of the matter is that I did not even meet the interviewee then, let alone asking him to give false testimonies. The whole investigation is carried out by the Department of Organized Crime – the one dealing with the most severe crimes.

In the present political situation I am completely helpless. I am certain it is meant to kill me civically which very well corresponds with the way this government deals with the journalists who publicized unfavourable stories regarding the Kaczynski brothers. The best way to do it is to make a journalist a criminal based on the testimonies of the people who chose to do favour to those in power. In my opinion, the freedom of the speech is seriously jeopardized in my country. Public defamation of journalists has been used an effective tool to ruin the reputation of the journalists the government does not like. I have no real way of defending myself in Poland against the ridiculous charges that can easily be manufactured on demand.

It is in nobody’s interest now to defend a single journalist who was groundlessly accused by the Kaczynki of being an intelligence agent. It does not pay off. It is much easier to carbon copy the defamatory and deceitful political statements. I see myself as a victim of determination to find the truth which was harmful to the political business of the Kaczynski brothers.

This is why I have decided to write this letter asking for support of my colleague journalists from the international arena. I would also like to express my public protest against the open attack on the freedom of speech and disabling journalists from seeking the uncomfortable truth.

I am ready to answer all the questions regarding my case on any international forum and present my situation to the journalistic organizations or any other bodies interested. I know this letter will cause another attack on me but I have nothing more to lose. I believe the truth will come out one day.

Witold Krasucki
Warsaw Poland

p.s.: Wie hierzulande die „freien“ Medien vor den osteuropäischen Machthabern kuschen, mag die Ausladung des Kreml-Kritikers Kasparow durch Sabine Christiansen zeigen.