Police Visit TV Republika and wPolsce24 Over Recorded Footage From Constitutional Tribunal Protest

In brief

• Police visited the newsrooms of TV Republika and wPolsce24 demanding recordings of a gathering outside the Constitutional Tribunal.
• TV Republika declined to hand over unaired footage for now, saying the legal basis was insufficient.
• Prosecutors also requested broadcast logs and staff documents, and politicians including Kaczyński and Żurek have reacted sharply.

Police Demand Recordings From Two Right-Leaning Broadcasters

On Thursday, plainclothes officers went to the Warsaw headquarters of TV Republika and left an official letter at reception requesting video recordings of a public gathering held in mid-October in front of the Constitutional Tribunal (Policja z pismami do kolejnej telewizji. „Tej władzy żadnego nagrania na pewno nie wydamy” – RMF24). The station's lawyers said the request did not give a sufficient and precise legal basis obliging the newsroom to hand over unaired journalistic material, so TV Republika decided not to surrender the footage for now. The wPolsce24 channel said it received an analogous summons.

Prosecutors' Position

The Szczecin District Prosecutor's Office, which runs the investigation, said that Tomasz Sakiewicz's station must promptly hand over recordings from the October 16 incidents (Kaczyński reaguje na akcję służb w telewizjach. "Szturm na media" – Wirtualna Polska). The spokeswoman, Julia Szozda, said the prosecutor had also requested emission system logs and documents linked to the station's work, including a copy of its broadcasting licence and staff duty rosters (Policja w siedzibie Telewizji Republika. Nowe informacje z prokuratury – Onet). She stated that none of these documents fell under journalistic secrecy.

Political Reaction

Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of Law and Justice, called the move an assault on independent media and said it was no coincidence that officers entered the station the day after a large Independence March („Zamach na wolność słowa” czy „granice dobrego smaku”? Politycy o aferze wokół TV Republika – RMF24). Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said no one stands above the law and that the actions were not aimed at disclosing journalists' sources (Policja w TV Republika. Waldemar Żurek zabrał głos – Wirtualna Polska). The wPolsce24 editor-in-chief, Jacek Karnowski, described the police action as a worrying signal and promised a firm defence of press freedom.

Separate Proceedings

A separate investigation by the Kraków District Prosecutor's Office concerns broadcasts after a terrorist attack at Kraków's Main Market Square. It covers allegations of spreading false information that undermines trust in police officers and of publicly insulting a group of people on grounds of nationality ("Wolność to nie immunitet". Ostre słowa ministra o TV Republice – Wirtualna Polska). Żurek said freedom of speech does not exempt anyone from legal consequences.

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