The territory Prosecutor's Office Kielce-East has directed an indictment against Emilia Sz., known online under the pseudonym “Little Emi”. The female was accused of libeling justice Waldemar Żurek on the Internet, who was 1 of the leading judges defending the regulation of law in Poland. The hatred affair, whose protagonist is Emilia Sz., had its roots in the extended activities of individuals associated with erstwhile Deputy Minister of Justice Luke Piebiak.
Genera of the hatred affair
The hatred scandal was revealed by Onet in August 2019. Journalists published a number of materials that revealed Emilia Sz.'s ties to Łukasz Piebiak and a group of judges operating on the network under the name “Kasta”. This group, bound by the WhatsApp communicator, was to systematically attack judges opposed to changes introduced in the Polish judiciary. Among the judges associated with the group “Kasta” were Konrad Wytrykowski, Przemysław W. Radzik, Maciej Mitera, Michał Lasota, Jakub Iwaniec, Jarosław Dudzicz and Łukasz Piebiak.
Emilia Sz., appearing as “Little Emi”, was a key figure of these activities. With her help, slanderous information and attacks against judges specified as Waldemar Żurek were distributed online. According to the findings, the information utilized by ‘Little Emi’ was provided by the judges cooperating with Piebiak.
Case of justice Waldemar Zurk
Even before the media exposed the scandal, Waldemar Żurek, the Krakow justice and erstwhile press spokesperson of the National Judicial Council, submitted a announcement to the prosecutor against 3 online haters, including Emilia Sz. Żurek became the mark of many attacks on social media, which active his public defence of the regulation of law and opposition to changes made by the government in the judiciary.
In the first phase of the investigation, the prosecution decided to dismiss it, justifying the impossibility of establishing the identity of the "Little Emi". However, that decision was met with Waldemar Żurek's reaction, who had lodged a complaint for dismissal. The court in Katowice took into account the complaint and ordered that proceedings be resumed, which yet led to an indictment against Emilia Sz.
The indictment against Emilia Sz.
On August 30, 2024, the Kielce-East territory Attorney's Office concluded the investigation and brought an indictment against Emilia Sz. She was accused, among others, of defamation of justice Waldemar Żurek on the Internet. As stated in the Communication, Emilia Sz. from 25 August 2018 to 27 January 2019 repeatedly insulted and talked to justice Żurek, which may have put him at hazard of losing the trust needed to prosecute the profession of judge.
The prosecution initially filed Emilia Sz. 3 separate charges in September 2023. However, after collecting additional evidence, these allegations were extended, covering 5 instances of insults and defamation of justice Żurek. The suspect did not admit to the alleged acts and exercised the right to refuse to supply explanations.
Threatening legal consequences
Emilia Sz. is facing fines, restrictions or imprisonment for a year. In accordance with Article 212 of the Criminal Code, defamation may be punishable by imprisonment if it has occurred via mass media, as in the case of Emilia Sz., in the net space.
Summary
Emilia Sz., known as “Little Emi”, is 1 of the loudest proceedings concerning hatred and abuse in social media, which sparked a broad debate on the limits of freedom of expression and work for words on the Internet. The hatred speech besides revealed a number of links between public officials and actions discrediting judges opposed to reforms of the judiciary in Poland.
The final court ruling on Emilia Sz. will substance not only to Waldemar Żurek himself, but besides to all judges who became victims of attacks on the net.
Daniel Głogowski
Expert in his field – Publicist, author and social activist. The first articles were published in 1999 for global publishers. For more than 30 years, he has gained his experience through cooperation with the largest editorial offices. In his articles, he seeks to address controversial topics and present first viewpoints that allowed for a deeper knowing of the issues discussed.
Continued here:
The prosecution directs the first indictment of the scandal of the hateful group “KASTA”
