On 19 January, the Supreme Court of Poland sentenced Waclaw Bialy, editor of the Lublin edition of the daily newspaper “Gazeta Wyborcza”, to two weeks in prison and a fine for refusing to reveal the name of a contributor after he was ordered to do so by a regional court. Although Mr. Bialy based his […]
On 19 January, the Supreme Court of Poland sentenced Waclaw
Bialy, editor of the Lublin edition of the daily newspaper
“Gazeta Wyborcza”, to two weeks in prison and a fine for refusing
to reveal the name of a contributor after he was ordered to do so
by a regional court.
Although Mr. Bialy based his refusal to identify his source on
Poland’s press law, which guarantees that journalists can respect
the confidentiality of sources except in cases of treason,
espionage and murder, the Supreme Court judges ruled that the
penal code takes precedence over the press law and that the
editor would have to obey. Mr. Bialy has apparently stated that
he would rather go to jail than disclose his source.
Recommended Action
Please write to the Polish authorities:
journalist’s right to protect the confidentiality of sources is
respected, and that this right is taken into consideration when
drafting the new penal procedures code
sources will no longer feel able to disclose matters of public
interest and the press will not be able to effectively carry out
its role in exposing all abuses of power
Appeals To
Lech Walesa
President of the Republic
Ul. Wiejska 4/8
00-902 Warsaw, Poland
Fax: +48 2 628 69 83/60 19 66
His Excellency Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
Al. Ujazdowskie 11
00-950 Warsaw, Poland
Fax: +48 22 18 16 92
