One of the fewer MPs, courageously defending the freedom of speech threatened in Poland, is Grzegorz Braun.
The leader of the Confederation of the Polish Crown submitted on 13 October this year a parliamentary interpelling on blocking access to the Myślpolska.info service. In an interview, the MP, seeking to clarify the legal basis of the Polish government's action, asked a number of detailed questions to the Minister of peculiar Services coordinator.
He answered the appeal Stanislaw Żaryn, Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. This party-government authoritative completely ignored the content of the Member's questions. This is another display of the arrogance of the present power, seemingly convinced of its own impunity.
Below we present the full text of the interview by Mr Braun and Stanisław Żaryn.
Intervention by Grzegorz Braun:
Sir,
In March of this year, on behalf of the interior safety Agency for Polish net users, access to the website www.myśmypolska.info, which is the online service of the weekly weekly magazine "Myśl Polska".
According to press reports, access was blocked under Article 180(1) of the Act Telecommunications law, and the website www.myspolska.info was included in the group of portals blocked due to the spread of Russian misinformation.
At the same time, it should be noted that “Myśl Polska” is now the oldest Polish weekly magazine appearing continuously. The first issue of “Polish Thought” was published on 20 March 1941 in London. The letter was created as an organ of the emigration National Party. During the Stalinist period in Poland, “Myśl Polska” was included in a list of letters banned by censorship. By the end of October 1956, severe repressions were threatened for possession and reading of the writing. In the later period, starting from the 1970s, “Think Poland” was semi-legal and available in the reading area of urban libraries. In 1993 the editorial board of the magazine was transferred to Poland, with the participation of Jan Tomasz Zamoyski.
From the first issue until today, “Think Poland” presents a continuous programme line, being a socio-political weekly on national-democratic orientation. It is so an crucial part of the Polish statehood of the national-democratic camp.
Therefore, I ask you to answer the following questions:
- Which entity (Police, Office of interior Supervision, Border Guard, State safety Service, interior safety Agency, Military Counterintelligence Service, Military Police, Central Anti-corruption Office or National taxation Administration) requested to block access to the website www.myspolska.info?
- What circumstantial facts, publications or statements justified blocking access to the website www.myspolska.info?
- When did these facts, publications or statements take place, who was their author and what was the author's relation with the editorial website www.myśmyspolska.info or the weekly weekly "Think Poland"?
- On what basis did the government consider that these facts, publications or statements could endanger the defence, safety of the state and safety and public order (the grounds under Article 180(1) of the Telecommunications Law)?
With respect
Grzegorz Braun
Answer by Stanisław Żaryn, Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister:
Dear Marshal,
Responding to the interview, the number K9INT36517, Mr Grzegorz Braun, on blocking access to the website of the weekly magazine "Myśl Polska", I kindly inform that peculiar services are constantly monitoring the information space of the Republic of Poland and are conducting analyses of it in relation to emerging threats, including hybrid threats in the form of disinformation operations. Under the Law of 16 July 2004. Telecommunications law, where telecommunications connections or communications of information may endanger the defence, safety of the State or the safety and public policy, the entities designated in the Act shall be entitled to request the blocking of specified communications by telecommunications providers or to make specified a block.
Yours sincerely.
under the authority of the Minister
Stanislaw Żaryn
Secretary of State at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister
Think Poland, No. 1-2 (1-8.01.2023)
