“This is a certain whole – an effort by this regime to limit, and perhaps over time simply eliminate freedom of speech in Poland altogether”, said Jarosław Kaczyński, referring, among other things, to the actions of the prosecutor’s office against Tomasz Sakiewicz, the decision regarding Michał Rachoń’s journalistic privilege, and the arrest of Leszek Kraskowski. According to the PiS chairman, these are elements of a broader process of the current authorities moving away from democratic standards.
On Tuesday, the National Prosecutor’s Office once again summoned Tomasz Sakiewicz, CEO of TV Republika, to be questioned as a witness. The summons concerns proceedings conducted against, among others, former Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro. The questioning was scheduled for Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at the National Prosecutor’s Office (ul. Postępu 3, Warsaw).
Tomasz Sakiewicz announced that he would not be able to appear at Thursday’s questioning. “Unfortunately, I cannot appear at the prosecutor’s office, because not only was the deadline not respected, but I also have a court hearing that day which I have been obliged to attend”, wrote the CEO of TV Republika on social media on Tuesday, attaching a scan of his request to reschedule the questioning.
After the first questioning of Tomasz Sakiewicz at the National Prosecutor’s Office building in May, the prosecutor imposed a penalty on the CEO of TV Republika – for allegedly “unjustified refusal to testify”.
In a decision dated May 25, 2026, prosecutor Piotr Woźniak of the National Prosecutor’s Office imposed a disciplinary fine of 3,000 PLN on Tomasz Sakiewicz. As stated in the document, the prosecutor, “acting pursuant to Article 285 § 1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in conjunction with Article 287 § 1”, decided to “impose a financial penalty of 3,000 PLN on the witness Tomasz Sakiewicz”.
However, the justification of the decision reveals a convoluted line of reasoning by the prosecutor’s office. During questioning, Sakiewicz stated that he would only provide answers when “summoned by a legally acting prosecutor”, and also invoked the obligation to maintain journalistic confidentiality under Article 15 of the Press Law. He also emphasized that details regarding employment had been reserved by a person concerned about their safety.
Nevertheless, prosecutor Woźniak decided that he himself would determine that journalistic confidentiality did not apply in this case. In the decision, he stated that “the witness Tomasz Sakiewicz was not summoned for questioning as a journalist and not for the purpose of testifying on circumstances covered by journalistic confidentiality, but as the CEO of Telewizja Republika joint-stock company and a potential employer of the wanted Zbigniew Ziobro”.
A few days ago, court assessor Krzysztof Kołodziejczyk also decided to lift the journalistic privilege of Michał Rachoń. “This is an extremely flawed decision”, commented attorney Artur Wdowczyk on air at TV Republika. The journalist has already announced that he does not intend to “betray his informants”.
At the same time, Poland is focused on the issue of the three-month detention of investigative journalist Leszek Kraskowski, known for revealing information inconvenient for Roman Giertych (Civic Platform, KO), including matters related to the Polnord case. He has been charged with making criminal threats and illegal possession of a gas pistol and ammunition without a permit.
According to unofficial findings by Niezalezna.pl, the weapon in question is an Italian Bruni P4 blank-firing pistol, caliber 9 mm P.A.K. – a device available for purchase online for a few hundred zlotys, not adapted to fire live ammunition.
PiS Chairman: They Aim to Eliminate Freedom of Speech
Today, the chairman of Law and Justice (PiS), Jarosław Kaczyński, was asked about all these issues. In his assessment, all these events constitute “a certain whole – an effort by this regime to limit, and perhaps over time simply eliminate freedom of speech in Poland, because this kind of власть cannot survive in the long term otherwise”.
“From the point of view of this authority, such actions are rational. It has long since moved beyond the democratic paradigm, essentially from the very beginning of its rule. And slowly – sometimes faster, sometimes slower – it continues down this path. Elections are approaching, so one can expect the worst”, Kaczyński said.
He added: “This is a authority that has no inhibitions, but above all, I emphasize once again, as I have said many times, this is an external authority. It is a authority that governs thanks to external support, above all the support of Germany”.
“At that time, however, the supporting coalition – I am referring to 2023 – as we now know, was much broader, including also the then authorities and important institutions of the United States… That is why we lost – but we will do everything to reverse this situation in Poland, not only to rebuild democracy and the rule of law, but to secure them, to create mechanisms that will reduce to negligible levels the chances of something like this happening again. So that what happened after December 13, 2023, cannot happen again”, he continued.
And he concluded: “The rule of law, democracy, and freedom of speech must be preserved in Poland, and also restored where they have not existed for a long time”.
