(RSF/IFEX) – On 16 May 2005, Grzegorz Prujszyk, a student contributor to the Indymedia Poland website, was arrested and mistreated by police after filming an anti-war demonstration in Warsaw. Police arrested Prujszyk as the16 May rally was beginning to break up. He was wearing an orange waistcoat with the word “Press” marked on it. Police […]
(RSF/IFEX) – On 16 May 2005, Grzegorz Prujszyk, a student contributor to the Indymedia Poland website, was arrested and mistreated by police after filming an anti-war demonstration in Warsaw.
Police arrested Prujszyk as the16 May rally was beginning to break up. He was wearing an orange waistcoat with the word “Press” marked on it. Police grabbed him first among a group taking part in the march. He was then forced to lie on the floor of the van taking him to the police station with an officer kneeling on his back.
At the station, officers viewed Prujszyk’s videotape and held him in custody for 39 hours. He is now under police surveillance and must report to police once a week. He has been accused of assaulting a police officer, a charge that carries a 10-year jail sentence under Article 223 of Poland’s Criminal Code.
“This behaviour by police is a threat to press freedom. Polish journalists and other media workers should be able to cover every type of event, even those seen as sensitive, such as opposition demonstrations against the government’s support for the war in Iraq,” RSF said.
Police accused Prujszyk of assaulting a police officer. However, eyewitnesses at the scene, particularly other journalists, said he took no part in jostling with the security forces. He categorically denied any involvement.
The police accusations are based on the evidence of an officer whom Prujszyk says he does not know. One officer reportedly told him while in custody that security forces had been planning to arrest him for some time. No detailed charges have yet been produced.
There have been very few anti-war demonstrations in Poland since the government decided to support the United States-led coalition in March 2003. Fewer than 5,000 people took part in the biggest march in 2004. Several pacifist activists have, however, been arrested in Poland since the start of the conflict for “demonstrating illegally”.
Indymedia is a network of websites on which Internet users post messages freely. Prujszyk spends most of his spare time reporting without pay for Indymedia Poland and is a member of its editorial team.
