PAP President Wojciech Surmacz has released a dramatic letter to the journalists of the world. The following is its content:

Dear Friends,

The Polish Press Agency (PAP) has witnessed unprecedented events in its entire 100+ year history. There has been an unlawful, brutal, forceful attempt to seize control of the PAP.

On the night of December 19, 2023. Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz, a lieutenant colonel of the secret services and former coordinator of those services in Poland, now Minister of Culture and National Heritage, dismissed me from the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors, in violation of Polish law.

The next day, before noon, a new board of directors, appointed illegally, appeared at the company’s headquarters and seized my office during my temporary absence, forcing the IT department to cut off my electronic access to the company.

I therefore returned, assisted by my lawyer, attorney Tobias Szychowski, and Prof. Piotr Glinski, former Minister of Culture and National Heritage, now a member of the Polish Parliament. I asked for his support, as he was the man who had supervised PAP for the past eight years on the part of the Treasury.

On the spot, the new PAP „administrators” turned out to be quite aggressive, TV cameras appeared, more MPs showed up, and there was some scuffling. It was growing dangerous, so I called the police. Only then did I regain full electronic access to the Agency and to my office. Sienkiewicz’s men left the PAP board office after police intervened and attorney Szychowski reported to the prosecutor’s office on suspicion of a crime. The men, however, spent the entire night in the agency’s building, claiming they had to work.

The next day at the PAP Press Centre, I held a meeting with journalists and agency employees. I stated that, according to the law, only the National Media Council can remove me from my position as president, and if it decides to do so, I will step down immediately. I called on everyone to remain calm, and on Colonel Sienkiewicz’s people to conduct normal talks and not use violence.

Unfortunately, 24 hours later, at 3 a.m., Sienkiewicz’s men, assisted by several hired, strong armed bodyguards, stormed the PAP headquarters. They began to occupy the PAP building floor by floor. But at the same time they found themselves resisted by the journalists and opposition deputies present there. The police were called in. The aggressors withdrew under pressure from the media and the opposition.

Today, the PAP building is open and free of illegal security guards, but a new illegal management is trying to run the company. Journalists and employees of other company departments are being illegally fired. People are terrorized, frightened, and unable to withstand the enormous psychological pressure. New acts of violence are unofficially being announced.

Therefore, I call on all media and journalistic organizations to stand in professional solidarity and come forward to defend freedom of speech and respect for the law.

I have been a professional journalist for more than 30 years. I have been in charge of the Polish Press Agency for 6 years. Many times politicians of both the coalition and the opposition have tried to put pressure on me, to dismiss me from my job. But no one has ever crossed the law.

PAP is an independent agency that provides about 90 percent of the daily news in all media operating in Poland. I emphasize: in all media - regardless of political or corporate provenience.

This year our revenues will amount to about PLN 100 million, 20 percent of which are state subsidies. Our clients include all mainstream media in Poland and the largest media corporations or agencies in the world, including Warner Bros. Discovery, Bloomberg, Ringier Axel Springer. PAP is a member of international trade organizations, i.e. the European Alliance Of News Agencies and MINDS.

If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact me: [email protected]

Wojciech Surmacz President of the Management Board Polish Press Agency