Karnowscy together with Andrijanić holding SDP awardsEXCLUSIVELY. Michał and Jacek Karnowski together with Goran Andrijanić holding SDP awards. "This is a great honour." SEE our coverage

„Poland’s sovereignty and independence is threatened on several fronts”

— said the editor Michal Karnowski at the award ceremony of the Association of Polish Journalists (SDP).

Karnowski: Poland’s sovereignty is threatened on several fronts

Jacek and Michał Karnowski were awarded the SDP prize for their interview with MEP Jacek Saryusz-Wolski - „I can tell you how to win against EU unlawfulness. We must fight our way to independence in the Union” - which appeared in the weekly „Sieci”.

The battle in Ukraine, which is also being fought for Polish freedom and independence, is the most conspicuous. This is the main front of this fight at the moment. But we are trying to write also - and I emphasize: also - about other threats, and that’s what this interview was about

Polish sovereignty and independence is threatened on several fronts

• he pointed out.

Andrijanić: Croatians are very grateful to John Paul II

Similarly, one of our other journalists, columnist Goran Andrijanić, has been awarded by SDP. He received the 1st Maciej Lukasiewicz Award for the text „Poles, will you let this happen?!” in the Weekly Sieci.

It is a great honour for me to be here today, in the company of these experienced, excellent journalists. To receive an award here, among such competition, is a great honour

• he stressed.

Croatians have a specific view when it comes to John Paul II. We are very grateful to him; he did a lot for us in the spiritual sense, also politically, in terms of recognizing our independence

• he added.

An award for Mariusz Pilis

The following filmmakers were also honoured: Mariusz Pilis (MEWA FILM Sp. Z o.o.) for his productions „The Vistula Spit - why do we need this cross-cut” and „Belsat. Mission Freedom” - Pilis was awarded the Freedom of Speech Award for the latter film.

The film is an attempt to settle a personal account with, on the one hand, the time I spent there - in 2008, when Belsat was established, and on the other hand, all that I found there after 15 years, when I had the opportunity to enter Belsat’s newsroom actually for the second time seriously

— he stressed in an interview with wPolsce.pl.

I suddenly understood that actually every person, every journalist I look at in that editorial office is a person with his or her own rather tragic, and sometimes very tragic, story. There are actually no people there who have not clashed with Lukashenko’s system

— he said.

It’s an editorial office made up of people who are battered, but very strongly motivated to fight for the truth and for this kind of Belarus they have dreamed of and which they would see modelled even on what they have in Poland

— Pilis added.

„There are still some fundamental steps ahead of us.”„

The main Freedom of Speech Award went to Ewa Stankiewicz- Jørgensen for her TV documentary „State of Emergency,” aired on TVP1.

In my opinion, this is kind of a litmus test. Accounting for the death of the Polish president on Russian soil 13 years ago has an impact on what a truly secure country we are today. A great deal has been done in terms of the state’s sovereignty, while when it comes to Smolensk; there are still some fundamental steps ahead of us that the state should take

— she pointed out in an interview with wPolsce.pl.

Tłum. K.J.