Polish Member of the European Parliament Mariusz Kaminski has demanded an explanation from the European Commission regarding its defense of Pablo González, a recently exchanged Russian spy.
‘The controversy centers on the 2023 Rule of Law Report, published by the European Commission on July 5, 2023. The report addresses challenges faced by journalists in Poland, stating that they “continue to face difficulties in their work.”
As evidence of alleged persecution of an independent journalist, the report cites the case of Pablo González. “Independent journalist Pablo González was arrested in February 2022 in the city of Rzeszów by the Polish Security Service, where he was covering the refugee crisis caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” the document states.
The report further notes that Pablo González was “charged with conducting illegal espionage in favor of the Russian state.” It adds, “Press freedom organizations have expressed concern about the lack of evidence for the arrest of the journalist, who still remains in pre-trial detention.”
Kamiński on the support of Pablo González: The European Commission has embarrassed itself
Kamiński posed several pointed questions:
“Will the Commission draw any conclusions and consequences from this outrage?” he asked. Kaminski further inquired, “When does the EC plan to apologize to Poland and explain to the public its mistake in withdrawing the fake document?”
The MEP also sought to uncover the sources behind the Commission’s report, asking, “Who was behind the repetition of the Russian version in the EC report? Which organizations and people and on what basis did the Commission consider more credible than the Polish government?”
In a letter addressed to the Commission, Kaminski posed several pointed questions:
“Will the Commission draw any conclusions and consequences from this outrage?” he asked. Kaminski further inquired, “When does the EC plan to apologize to Poland and explain to the public its mistake in withdrawing the fake document?”
The MEP also sought to uncover the sources behind the Commission’s report, asking, “Who was behind the repetition of the Russian version in the EC report? Which organizations and people and on what basis did the Commission consider more credible than the Polish government?”
NEWSROOM IN NOTES: At the time of this report, the European Commission had not yet responded to Mariusz Kaminski’s letter.