Threats and harassment against Polish journalists' children

Police throughout Poland called the son of journalists Wojciech Czuchnowski and Tomasz Lis, Mateusz Czuchnowski's phone number on January 20, telling him they had received bomb threats.

That same day, Mateusz Czuchnowski received a call from an automated voice saying, "we will kill you because you are betraying the motherland," according to a news report and Wojciech Czuchnowski, who told CPJ his son's number was spoofed

Tomasz Lis, who communicated with CPJ via email, said his daughter Pola Lis also received a call on January 31 with an automated voice threatening to kill her for "betraying the motherland."

CPJ spoke with reporters Wojciech Czuchnowski and Tomasz Lis from the Newsweek Polska weekly who said their children were being targeted for their work.

According to the journalists, Czuchnowski's son is a cinematographer, and Lis' daughter is a columnist who covers sports. Lis frequently publishes news stories critical of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, and Czuchnowski has recently covered the alleged use of Pegasus surveillance software against opposition politicians in Poland. Recently, several opposition politicians and activists critical of the government have also been threatened and harassed by phone.

According to CPJ, both journalists reported the threats to the police.

*This article contains information sourced from CPJ.