Poland: Katarzyna Włodkowska faces jail time for not disclosing source for her report on former mayor’s murder
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November 19, 2021, Warsaw- Reporter for Gazeta Wyborcza Katarzyna Włodkowska faces a potential 30 day prison sentence if she refuses to reveal the name of her source and does not pay the fine for the concealment. On November 5, she was ordered to pay a fine of 500 zlotys (108 euros). However, she refused to pay the fine claiming she has not committed any punishable offence. Her employer organization backed her stance. If she continues to persist with this position, however, she could be sentenced to a month in prison. The Coalition For Women In Journalism is deeply concerned at the threat of imprisonment hanging over the journalist’s head for not disclosing a source. We urge the authorities to ensure conditions conducive for journalists to do their jobs.
The story concerns the murder of former mayor Paweł Adamowicz. Initial investigation held that the murderer was a mentally disturbed individual, who targeted the mayor. However, Katarzyna’s article indicated that the killing was premeditated. The implications of this assertion can have political backlash for the ruling Law and Justice Party, which ran a smear campaign against the mayor prior to his assasination. Katarzyna has thus been booked under charges of “groundless evasion of testimony” and is being pressured to reveal her sources.
If Katarzyna reveals her source now, she could be making them vulnerable to threats to their life and well being. According to the European Court of Human Rights only “overriding public interest” can force a journalist to reveal their source and Polish authorities have not fulfilled the condition to demand this from the journalist.
Meanwhile, Katarzyna plans to countersue in response to the fine imposed on her.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Katarzyna Włodkowska as well as her employer organization Gazeta Wyborcza. It is evident that a journalist is being asked to risk the well-being of her source in a high-profile murder case in order to shelter the interests of the ruling party. This is not a question of public interest or the larger political well-being of the country, it is simply fear of political accountability. To then legally harass the journalist is only an act of doubling down on previously taken bad decisions. The courts must immediately drop all charges against Katarzyna Włodkowska.
