A PiS MP and KUL professor, Przemysław Czarnek, wrote to the university rector demanding disciplinary action against Ukrainian journalist Witalij Mazurenko for publicly insulting President Andrzej Duda. KUL clarified that Mazurenko was removed from its doctoral student list in 2020 and has no current ties to the institution.
Czarnek Writes Letter to KUL Rector
On Wednesday, PiS MP and KUL professor Przemysław Czarnek informed that he had sent a letter to the rector of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin (KUL) regarding Witalij Mazurenko’s remarks on Polsat News. Czarnek stated that, according to “media reports,” Mazurenko was a doctoral student in KUL’s Department of Human Rights. “In this situation, I request the immediate initiation of disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Mazurenko and his removal from our university,” he wrote. Shortly after, Czarnek posted on X: “As I have just learned, Mr. Mazurenko is no longer a KUL student, and his doctoral studies have been discontinued.”
KUL: Removed from Student List in 2020
A portion of the commentary on Czarnek’s post incorrectly assumed Mazurenko had left the university due to the MP’s intervention with the rector. A brief university statement, however, clarified that Mazurenko had no connection to the institution for five years. “Regarding the attribution of KUL affiliation to journalist Witalij Mazurenko, who insulted the President of the Republic of Poland, we clarify: Mr. Witalij Mazurenko was removed from the doctoral student list in November 2020 and has no ties to our university,” the statement read.
Mazurenko on Nawrocki: ‘Behavior of a Pachan’
Witalij Mazurenko, a Ukrainian journalist with Polish citizenship, criticized President Karol Nawrocki’s veto of aid provisions for Ukrainians during a segment of “Debata Gozdyry” on Tuesday. “Mr. Nawrocki’s rhetoric and behavior are not presidential but those of a pachan—a term used in Russian prisons for a criminal leader,” he said. The word “pachan,” as per Russian Wikipedia, refers to a head of a criminal group or an experienced criminal.
Reactions from the President’s Office
Mazurenko’s remarks drew backlash on social media. President Andrzej Duda’s Chief of Staff, Zbigniew Bogucki, stated that the journalist should be investigated for publicly insulting the Polish president. “This behavior by a Ukrainian citizen who obtained Polish citizenship clearly supports the President of Poland’s initiative to extend the residency period required for Polish citizenship to 10 years,” Bogucki wrote. The editorial board of *Obserwator Internacjonalny*, where Mazurenko worked, announced in a statement that it had immediately terminated its collaboration with him. Mazurenko addressed the issue on Facebook, writing: “I apologize to everyone whose feelings may have been hurt by my words.”
Source: Gazeta, – KUL statement (November 2020), – Zbigniew Bogucki’s social media post, – *Obserwator Internacjonalny* editorial board announcement, – Witalij Mazurenko’s Facebook statement
