KZR&P in defense of the freedom of speech

Thursday, 22 December 2011 15:22

We are delighted to announce that thanks to Tobiasz Szychowski (Advocate and Partner) and Rafał Zięba (Advocate and Senior Partner) proceedings against editor Leszek Kraskowski have been discontinued.

Mr Kraskowski was accused of public dissemination of information from an inquiry into a member of the Self-Defense Party, Stanislaw Lyzwinski. At the beginning of 2009, Mr Kraskowski published in Dziennik daily texts concerning financial irregularities in the Self-Defense Party. Initially the accusation of the Prosecutor’s Office regarded the dissemination of the content of a closed hearing concerning a sex scandal.

The case was widely discussed among the media representatives. An open letter in defense of the journalist was written by Stowarzyszenie Dziennikarzy Polskich – SDP (The Association of Polish Journalists) and Centrum Monitoringu Wolności Prasy (The Press Freedom Monitoring Center).

Leszek Kraskowski – former investigative reporter of Rzeczpopolita, Super Express and Dziennik dailies. Currently an independent publicist. Prizewinner of several prestigious journalist prizes, such as: Nagroda Główna Wolności Słowa SDP (Main Prize of Freedom of Speech by The Association of Polish Journalists) for publication in defense of democracy and law-abidance, exposing abuse of power, corruption, violation of civil rights and human rights (article entitled The Congo Operation), WATERGATE SDP (together with Anna Marszałek) for the article Mysterious Lobbyist, showing behind-the-scenes of the ZUS computerization by Prokom (2000) and GRAND PRESS 2007 in the NEWS category for the article Lethal Medicine, exposing the corhydron scandal – the tragic effects of a change of medicine in Jelfa (2009).