Polish President Andrei Duda has vetoed a controversial press law that was allegedly aimed at silencing the independent news network TVN24, which is controlled by US-based Discovery.
“I’m vetoing my veto,” Andrei Duda said in a televised address, following strong US criticism following the passage of the law by the Polish parliament last week.
The bill, passed on December 17 at the initiative of the ruling ultra-conservative populist Law and Justice Party (PiS), aimed to prevent non-European Economic Area companies from holding a majority stake in Polish media companies.
This would force the American Discovery Group to sell its stake in TVN, one of Poland’s largest private television networks. TVN24 is the continuous news channel, which is considered critical of the conservatives in power.
The Polish government, for its part, said the law was aimed at protecting the Polish media from potentially hostile elements such as Russia.
Andrei Duda said he remained committed to the principle, but that the law should not call into question existing investments or conflict with international agreements.
The US envoy to Warsaw, Bin Eiliu, had asked the Polish president to veto the law.
A spokesman for the European Commission said the law posed “serious risks to the freedom and pluralism of the media in Poland”.
Thousands of Poles demonstrated on December 19 holding European Union flags and shouting “Free media!” and “We want a veto!”.
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