Poland: Official State Secrets Bill (1)
01 January 1991
Poland: Official State Secrets Bill
artdoc March=1995
The Polish Senate has rejected by 74 votes to 5 a proposal from
the Sejm, the lower house, to introduce a secrecy law to limit
reporting by journalists. This followed criticism from the
journalists association and the Helsinki Committee which said in
a statement: `No control is envisaged over what information the
government plans to embrace as an official secret'. President
Lech Walesa, who has the power to veto the Bill, also came out
against it `in its current shape'. The Sejm can now overturn the
Senate's decision by a simple majority leaving President Walesa
with the final decision. Balkan News, 2.10.94 & 16.10.94; see
Statewatch, vol 4 no 5.
Statewatch, Vol 4 no 6, November-December 1994