OSCE Media Freedom Representative raises serious concerns about banning of journalist Anna Wilk in Poland from practising profession for three years
VIENNA, 6 June 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today raised serious concerns about media freedom in Poland following a verdict of the District Court in Poznań which sentenced journalist Anna Wilk on criminal defamation charges to a three-year ban on practising journalism and a fine totalling more than 1,500 euros. Wilk works with the Tygodnik Gazeta Powiatowa, a local newspaper in the town of Wronki.
The charges against her were brought by an electric appliances company, Amica, on the basis of Article 212 of the Polish Criminal Code.
“Sentencing a journalist to a three-year ban on practising journalism raises serious concerns regarding freedom of the media and especially investigative journalism,” said Désir.
Wilk has been reporting on alleged cases of mobbing and sexual harassment in Amica. Her recent article reports about the case of a suicide of a company employee.
In the justification of the verdict, the judge highlighted that the journalist has already previously been sentenced with a fine for defamation on multiple occasions. The journalist will appeal the case.
“Investigative journalism is not a crime and should not be treated as such. Banning a journalist from exercising his or her profession is shocking. I hope the second instance court will revise this sentence.”
“This sentence also demonstrates, once more, that defamation laws should be decriminalized. I call on the Polish authorities to abolish them,” Désir said.
In the Ministerial Council Decision on the safety of journalists adopted in December 2018, the OSCE participating States committed themselves to ensuring “that defamation laws do not carry excessive sanctions or penalties that could undermine the safety of journalists and/or effectively censor journalists and interfere with their mission of informing the public and, where necessary, to revise and repeal such laws, in compliance with participating States’ obligations under international human rights law”.
“I offer my Office's support and expertise in this regard and for furthering reforms of the media legislation in the country,” the Representative concluded.
The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.