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Journalist Pablo González complains to the European Court of Human Rights that Poland is violating its human rights
  • Since 28 February, journalist Pablo González has been holding his provisional arrest in Poland. Since then he has only been able to communicate by letter with his relatives, receiving only visits from Spanish counsel and consul. It calls on the European Court of Human Rights to take the view that its human rights are being violated and that the judicial process initiated against it does not have a "guarantee of minority justice".
Amaia Lekunberri Ansola 2022ko irailaren 14a

Journalist Pablo González has reported to the European Court of Human Rights the violation of his human rights in Poland, as reported by El Salto. The journalist, arrested on 28 February as a Russian spy, has since been held in provisional prison at Radom prison, 40 kilometres from Warsaw. He can only communicate by letter with his relatives and receive visits from his lawyer and the Spanish consul. Gonzalez also reports that in his day to day they make him humiliating explorations. Faced with this situation, and in view of the view that his human rights are being violated and that the judicial proceedings against him do not have a "guarantee of minority justice", he brought an action before the Court in Strasbourg.

According to the letter submitted to the European Court of Human Rights, some of the articles contained in the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms are being violated in the case of González. For example, the inability to receive visits and calls from family members, or the extension of provisional detention, indicate that they violate articles 8 and 5, respectively.

Gonzalez’s lawyer recalls that the Strasbourg Court has issued several judgments saying that “the gravity of the crime, the possibility of escaping or hindering the legal process are not enough to keep the detention for so long”. On two occasions, the journalist has been extended provisional prison, he was ordered to be detained for three months, in June he was extended for so many months, and in August the extension of three more months was accepted at the request of the Prosecutor ' s Office.

According to the lawyer, it is possible that until the middle of next year the trial will not take place, and as El Salto has received, next Gonzalez takes care of the possibilities that the trial will not be fair. "With all that we are living, we do not believe that a fair trial can be made" or "We question the independence of Prosecutor Waldemar Winiarski who processes the investigation, which has been directly elected by the Ministry of Defence and Justice of [Poland]." That is why the letter submitted to the Court also refers to Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which talks about the right to judicial proceedings.