Polish investigative journalist Leszek Kraskowski detained for three months, opposition and media bodies cry foul

The arrest and charges

Leszek Kraskowski, a former investigative journalist for outlets including Rzeczpospolita, Wprost, and Super Express, was detained on 9 June 2026 and placed in pre-trial custody for three months by a court in Piaseczno. The District Prosecutor's Office charged him with making criminal threats against the Piaseczno district police commander and with illegal possession of a gas pistol and 54 rounds of ammunition without a permit. According to prosecutor Antoni Skiba, Kraskowski did not admit to the charges during questioning.

The prosecution's justification

After appeals from the Ombudsman Marcin Wiącek and Press Club Polska president Marcin Lewicki, the Warsaw Regional Prosecutor's Office took over the case and explained the grounds for detention. Spokesman prosecutor Piotr Antoni Skiba stated that the evidence indicated a high probability the suspect committed the alleged acts. The prosecution argued that releasing Kraskowski could lead to procedural fraud, witness tampering, or flight. Skiba noted that the threatening email itself demonstrated a readiness to pressure individuals involved in the case, and the discovery of a weapon and ammunition in the suspect's car made the threats more credible. The prosecution also attached materials from a previously suspended investigation in which Kraskowski faces charges of abusing family members, a case that was stalled because he repeatedly failed to appear for court-ordered psychiatric evaluations.

“The fulfilment of those threats was made more probable by the fact that a weapon and ammunition, the possession of which without a permit is prohibited, were found in the car in which the suspect was detained.”

Political and institutional backlash

The arrest triggered sharp reactions from opposition figures and media freedom bodies. Former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro, now a vice-president of Law and Justice, called the charges a primitive pretext to silence a journalist critical of the government. He linked the detention directly to Kraskowski's reporting on the Polnord affair, stating that the journalist had exposed the key role of Roman Giertych, a lawyer and MP from the ruling Civic Coalition, in the alleged plundering of the Polnord company. Ziobro noted that Kraskowski had faced prior threats, including shots fired at his home and car, without any perpetrator being detained for three months.

“I am convinced that the case of the alleged threat and the gas pistol is only a primitive pretext to take away the journalist's most dangerous weapon, which is his pen, and to ultimately break him.”

Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, asked about the case on Polsat News, said that everything must be explained and that there are no detentions without basis in a state governed by the rule of law.

Media regulator and press freedom concerns

The National Broadcasting Council issued a statement expressing firm opposition to the detention, calling the three-month arrest a drastic and excessively harsh measure, especially given that police had previously failed to respond when Kraskowski reported being threatened with a knife by an unknown man. The Council stated that the actions against Kraskowski are part of a series of provocations against independent journalists and outlets critical of Donald Tusk's government, citing recent police entries into the offices and homes of journalists from Telewizja wPolsce24 and Republika. The Council warned of a chilling effect and a drastic lowering of freedom of speech standards, appealing to the prime minister for clarification.

“The actions of state bodies against editor Leszek Kraskowski are part of a series of provocations against independent journalists, editorial offices, and broadcasters criticising the policy of Donald Tusk's government.”

The Polnord connection

Kraskowski has in recent months published material on his own website and YouTube channel detailing the Polnord affair, a case involving the alleged stripping of assets from the real estate developer Polnord. His reporting has focused on the role of Roman Giertych and connections to billionaire Ryszard Krauze, a figure Ziobro described as linked to Russian intelligence circles, politics, and shady business. Critics of the arrest argue that the timing and severity of the detention are directly connected to this investigative work.