Human Rights House Foundation statement
HRC52 – Item 6 – UPR adoption – Poland
24 March 2023
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Thank you.
We will focus our remarks on freedom of opinion and expression, and we welcome the Ambassador’s opening remarks on this subject.
Vice-President.
Polish government actions to control public media have led to reduced media pluralism and content.
Journalists are facing legal harassment, including strategic litigation action or SLAPPs. Many legal actions are initiated by public institutions, state-owned companies, and public officials. Criminal defamation convictions have also increased.
Legal harassment is not limited to journalists but also affects activists, academics, artists, and whistleblowers. Prosecutions for modifying national or religious symbols are particularly worrying.
Furthermore, journalists in Poland face threats to their safety, especially while covering demonstrations. For instance, there have been reports of police using force against journalists who are clearly identifiable. Such incidents are often trivialized and do not result in disciplinary consequences for the perpetrators.
Finally, journalists are also exposed to the risk of unlawful surveillance and requests from the public prosecutor’s office to reveal their sources, with some cases resulting in fines for refusal to comply.
Vice-President.
We make the following recommendations to Poland:
- Ensure fair and transparent distribution of public funding to the media;
- Ensure that any legislation on media ownership will guarantee media pluralism and respect media independence;
- Cease any forms of legal harassment of journalists and others who contribute to public debate;
- Adopt legislation to protect against harmful legal actions, including SLAPPs;
- Guarantee the safety of journalists, notably in the context of public demonstrations, and effectively investigate any attacks on journalists;
- Provide safeguards against the surveillance of journalists.
Thank you.
