Police detained an independent journalist and charged him with assaulting a police officer!
On Mon 16th May in Warsaw, during politicians' talks during the third summit of the Council of Europe, demonstrations organised by grassroots citizens' movements from around Poland. The demonstrators protested against the hypocrisy of Council of Europe politicians and the inclusion of states in which human rights are violated (e.g. Russia and Turkey) and whose leaders are responsible for the war in Iraq.
After the demonstration, a conflictual incident with the police occurred. The full events were reported live by Independent Media - INDYMEDIA POLAND. When protesters started leaving to go home, police started checking people's identities and detained a selected number of people (see the film at indymedia poland).
11 people were detained, including 3 members of Amnesty International, a woman journalist working together with Indymedia as well as an Indymedia reporter, who was filming the police behaviour during the demonstration with a film camera. The Indymedia reporter - Grzegorz Prujszczyk - was wearing a reflective orange vest with the word PRESS and was reporting and documenting the demonstration; he was in no way involved in the conflictual incident which had occurred earlier with the police. The police have filed against him summary charges of assaulting a police officer; the first court hearing occurred Wed 18th May (today). Neither family nor journalists were given access to him. The court decided to commit Grzegorz to (partial) police custody until the next hearing. He is threatened with a penalty with a maximum sentence of 8 years' imprisonment. Lesser charges were placed against 10 other people, for example, insulting police officers, and they were freed after about 20 hours of detention.
From the account of one of the detainees, we found out that the police several times transgressed their rights. Ex-detainee Andrzej Dołecki claims that:
Police surveying the detainees (as well as those in the police vans transporting detainees to the police station) refused to give their names and service numbers.
During transport to the police station as well as at the police station, the police made threats against us and made insulting comments.
For many hours after the detention began, we were denied food and water.
In several incidents, unjustified violent actions were used against us (arm twisting, pushing us against metallic parts of the vans, walls, rough pushing and pulling, shouts and threats).
During preparation of paperwork, our right to have any information at all was vigorously and emphatically refused.
Trumped-up charges against us were prepared at the police station. A senior "official" dictated to younger policemen, successively suggesting new "faults", resulting in heavier charges against us.
We have indisputable evidence of Grzegorz Prujszczyk's innocence (photos, film recordings, witness statements), which we can provide to any interested journalists. We are convinced that the detention of this Indymedia reporter is because of his journalist work carried out during the demonstration. This is an obvious violation of freedom of speech and a constraint against independence of the media.
We would like to appeal for solidarity for this Indymedia journalist, for publication of this information around the world as well as for appeals to Polish governmental institutions and media. Link
On Mon 16th May in Warsaw, during politicians' talks during the third summit of the Council of Europe, demonstrations organised by grassroots citizens' movements from around Poland. The demonstrators protested against the hypocrisy of Council of Europe politicians and the inclusion of states in which human rights are violated (e.g. Russia and Turkey) and whose leaders are responsible for the war in Iraq. After the demonstration, a conflictual incident with the police occurred. The full events were reported live by Independent Media - INDYMEDIA POLAND. When protesters started leaving to go home, police started checking people's identities and detained a selected number of people (see the film at indymedia poland).
11 people were detained, including 3 members of Amnesty International, a woman journalist working together with Indymedia as well as an Indymedia reporter, who was filming the police behaviour during the demonstration with a film camera. The Indymedia reporter - Grzegorz Prujszczyk - was wearing a reflective orange vest with the word PRESS and was reporting and documenting the demonstration; he was in no way involved in the conflictual incident which had occurred earlier with the police. The police have filed against him summary charges of assaulting a police officer; the first court hearing occurred Wed 18th May (today). Neither family nor journalists were given access to him. The court decided to commit Grzegorz to (partial) police custody until the next hearing. He is threatened with a penalty with a maximum sentence of 8 years' imprisonment. Lesser charges were placed against 10 other people, for example, insulting police officers, and they were freed after about 20 hours of detention.
From the account of one of the detainees, we found out that the police several times transgressed their rights. Ex-detainee Andrzej Dołecki claims that:
Police surveying the detainees (as well as those in the police vans transporting detainees to the police station) refused to give their names and service numbers.
During transport to the police station as well as at the police station, the police made threats against us and made insulting comments.
For many hours after the detention began, we were denied food and water.
In several incidents, unjustified violent actions were used against us (arm twisting, pushing us against metallic parts of the vans, walls, rough pushing and pulling, shouts and threats).
During preparation of paperwork, our right to have any information at all was vigorously and emphatically refused.
Trumped-up charges against us were prepared at the police station. A senior "official" dictated to younger policemen, successively suggesting new "faults", resulting in heavier charges against us.
We have indisputable evidence of Grzegorz Prujszczyk's innocence (photos, film recordings, witness statements), which we can provide to any interested journalists. We are convinced that the detention of this Indymedia reporter is because of his journalist work carried out during the demonstration. This is an obvious violation of freedom of speech and a constraint against independence of the media.
We would like to appeal for solidarity for this Indymedia journalist, for publication of this information around the world as well as for appeals to Polish governmental institutions and media. Link
posted by BEING HAD at 4:38 AM
<< Home