Comment on The Times article We can’t ignore Turkey’s war on free speech by Hannah Lucinda Smith, March 18, 2020.
While I personally cannot add anything to the picture of the freedom of speech or human rights in Turkey, I would like to provide some information on violations of these rights in the European Union, in the country of Poland.
My wife and I were simultaneously fired from our state jobs in Poland for political reasons in 2015. The action against my wife Małgorzata Głuchowska, a pianist and piano teacher, involved fabricating fake statement signed by a psychologist, that due to some unspecified delusions my wife could not continue in her job in Zielona Góra, Poland, despite being the most successful pianist in the school. We have provided the state authorities with transcripts of two approximately 40-minutes meetings of MG with the psychologist (ordered under the threat of being fired from the job.
Earlier, we have addressed many texts to various Polish authorities, taking an active stance on some key issues. It quickly turned out that our rights declared theoretically in the country’s constitution and the EU’s documents are purely imaginary. The campaign against us was absolutely vicious. It was based on a typical Communist modus operandi.
We have provided top Polish authorities, including the Prime Ministers and Prosecutor General, as well as numerous European Parliament Members, with information about our case. No one asked for more details. No one wanted to know more, MEPs being no exception.
There is certainly an appetite and support for actions reinforcing pre-existing stereotypes and biases. There is, however, no appetite and no desire to act in cases contradicting the dominant mythology.
It seems therefore that violating freedom of speech and human rights is all right if you are a member of the EU, but not if you are outside. So while you continue to point and wag your finger at countries outside Europe, don’t forget the savagery and brutality in some of the Communist countries in the EU.
@LechSBorkowski