According to the Warsaw prosecutor's office, from February 22, 2024 until at least September 11, 2024, the journalist received messages warning him not to write about the links between an energy company in Poland and Russian intelligence services.
Journalist Grzegorz Rzeczkowski threatened due to the investigation of Russian influence in Poland. The Warsaw Prosecutor's Office announced the opening of criminal proceedings on the fact of intimidation of the media worker. This was reported by the international organization «Reporters Without Borders» (RSF).
According to the prosecutor's office, from February 22, 2024 until at least September 11, 2024, the journalist received messages warning him not to write about the connections between an energy company in Poland and Russian special services.
The threats, both by phone and in writing, included statements that «everything» would be done to prevent the publication of the journalistic investigation. To discredit him as a journalist in the eyes of the public, the attackers threatened to spread false information that Rzeczkowski worked for the Polish state security services.
The publishing house W.A.B., which published his book «Putin's Spies: How the Kremlin's Men Control Poland», has also been the target of malicious calls and threats of legal action.
«I have become the object of an unprecedented campaign of threats aimed at discouraging me from exposing Russian influence in Poland. For the first time in my life, I fear for the health and safety of myself and my family.
I am surprised that in a country like Poland, where the authorities at every step emphasize their awareness of the Russian threats associated with the Kremlin, people can de facto intimidate a journalist with impunity. This shows how safe they feel in my country. Therefore, I expect more decisive action from the Polish authorities against those who threaten me, I do not want the same to happen to others», — said Grzegorz Rzeczkowski in a commentary for RSF.
RSF called on the Polish authorities to immediately bring those responsible for these threats to justice.
«The danger faced by Grzegorz Rzeczkowski is one of the most serious examples of threats against a journalist in Poland in decades. We call on the authorities to act decisively and effectively to bring those responsible for these acts of intimidation to justice as soon as possible. The Polish state must send a strong signal that threats against journalists investigating Russian influence will not be tolerated», — said RSF's EU-Balkans desk chief Pavol Szalai.