Krzysztof Breiza will receive compensation and an apology, but will spyware return in future election campaigns?
A Polish court has confirmed that state broadcaster TVP illegally used the compromised personal SMS messages of opposition politician Krzysztof Breiza. The correspondence was stolen using the Pegasus spyware, and then published by TVP in 2019.
The aim was to cause reputational damage to Breiza, who at the time was running for the Senate from the opposition Civic Platform party. Now this party is in power. The court ordered TVP to issue a public apology and pay compensation to the politician.
It has already been established that under the previous government, Pegasus was used by the Polish special services for illegal surveillance in many areas. The court's decision actually confirms TVP's collusion with the authorities.
Dorota Breiza, Krzysztof's wife and lawyer, described the case as confirmation of the "pathological mechanisms of TVP operation". She drew attention to the unacceptable collusion between the secret services, the prosecutor's office and television, which was revealed in the course of the case.
As Breiza himself notes, this is the first time that the court has recognized the potential impact of Pegasus activity on the election campaign. He also said that such methods of surveillance remind him of the practices used in modern Russia and Belarus.
In 2022, the European Parliament's investigative committee found that Pegasus was used in at least 14 EU countries, including Poland, to spy, discredit and intimidate opposition figures, journalists and human rights defenders.
Experts have repeatedly criticized Polish state media, especially TVP, for promoting propaganda in the interests of the previously ruling Law and Justice Party. The new government has already dismissed the TVP management and turned off the broadcasting of the infamous TVP Info channel. However, the practice of using the media for political purposes will definitely continue.
A Polish court has confirmed that state broadcaster TVP illegally used the compromised personal SMS messages of opposition politician Krzysztof Breiza. The correspondence was stolen using the Pegasus spyware, and then published by TVP in 2019.
The aim was to cause reputational damage to Breiza, who at the time was running for the Senate from the opposition Civic Platform party. Now this party is in power. The court ordered TVP to issue a public apology and pay compensation to the politician.
It has already been established that under the previous government, Pegasus was used by the Polish special services for illegal surveillance in many areas. The court's decision actually confirms TVP's collusion with the authorities.
Dorota Breiza, Krzysztof's wife and lawyer, described the case as confirmation of the "pathological mechanisms of TVP operation". She drew attention to the unacceptable collusion between the secret services, the prosecutor's office and television, which was revealed in the course of the case.
As Breiza himself notes, this is the first time that the court has recognized the potential impact of Pegasus activity on the election campaign. He also said that such methods of surveillance remind him of the practices used in modern Russia and Belarus.
In 2022, the European Parliament's investigative committee found that Pegasus was used in at least 14 EU countries, including Poland, to spy, discredit and intimidate opposition figures, journalists and human rights defenders.
Experts have repeatedly criticized Polish state media, especially TVP, for promoting propaganda in the interests of the previously ruling Law and Justice Party. The new government has already dismissed the TVP management and turned off the broadcasting of the infamous TVP Info channel. However, the practice of using the media for political purposes will definitely continue.
