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Church in the WorldPolish editor fined for mocking PopeEurope 29 January 2005
One of Poland's best-known newspaper editors, Jerzy Urban, has been found guilty of insulting Pope John Paul II in an article and fined ?3,000.
The article mocked the Polish-born Pope's age and frailty. In Polish law it is illegal to publicly insult a foreign head of state.
Judge Barbara Laskowska said the article was a "conscious provocation" which had subjected the Pope to ridicule. Cries of "Too little!" filled the Warsaw courtroom as the sentence was read out. The prosecution had asked for a 10-month suspended prison sentence as well as a fine.
The 71-year-old editor became famous as the Communist party spokesman in the 1980s. Now, better known for writing sarcastic and satirical articles in his political weekly newspaper Nie, which means "No" in English. But he went too far when he targeted John Paul II on the eve of his last visit to his homeland two-and-a-half years ago. Mr Urban described the ailing Pope as the "Brezhnev of the Vatican" and a "living corpse" who presents a "spectacle of horror" to the public.
In Poland, the Pope is not only a moral authority he is commonly seen as a living legend who helped to bring down Communism. Almost any public criticism of him is taboo. That is why, even though the Pope himself filed no complaint, the public prosecutor felt it was necessary to bring the charges in the name of the Polish state. Mr Urban said he was innocent and was only exercising his right to free expression. His lawyer said he would appeal against his conviction.
The trial was criticised by press freedom groups as a "gross violation" of freedom of expression. Before the verdict, the group Reporters without Borders said that a prosecution would set a "dangerous precedent for a European Union member state". |
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