Samuel Pereira was convicted of defaming Aleksandra Brejza, a former mayor’s wife and mother of a PO politician, over a 2019 article published by TVP Info.
Samuel Pereira Found Guilty by a Binding Judgment. Appeal to Karol Nawrocki
The Content of the Judgment Against Samuel Pereira
Alexandra Brejza filed a private criminal complaint against Pereira, who was the director of TVP Info and deputy director of the Telewizyjnej Agencji Informacyjnej during PiS’s tenure. He was found guilty of spreading false statements about her encouraging local activists to attack political opponents online and detailing methods to do so. The case centers on a 2019 article published on TVP Info’s website.
Sanctions and Additional Civil Claims
The Warsaw District Court ruled in December 2024 that Pereira must publish an apology to Alexandra Brejza, pay a fine, and cover legal costs, totaling nearly 40,000 złotych. Dorota and Krzysztof Brejza also filed civil lawsuits against Pereira, which were dismissed in 2024. The court ordered him to apologize to Krzysztof Brejza via social media posts and pay 15,000 złotych to the Great Christmas Orchestra of Help (Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy).
Reaction from the Center for Press Freedom Monitoring
The Center for Press Freedom Monitoring, affiliated with the Polish Journalists’ Association, criticized the judgment as a “grave violation of citizens’ rights.” It stated the ruling breaches the principle of freedom of speech and the public’s right to be informed about local political affairs. The organization emphasized that convicting Pereira for exposing controversial facts about local elites is “extremely provocative” and pledged to seek clemency for him from Karol Nawrocki. Notably, the center has faced accusations of bias and working in favor of right-wing journalists in recent years.
Source: Gazeta, – Polish Journalists’ Association (Stowarzyszenia Dziennikarzy Polskich), – Warsaw District Court ruling documents
