– The Marshal's corridor in the Sejm is open to journalists – assured Szymon Hołownia, Marshal of the Sejm, on Wednesday. He also explained that there are situations in which the Marshal's Guard asks him to leave, for example due to ongoing work of the services.
On Wednesday, in a conversation with journalists in the Sejm Szymon Hołownia was asked about the situation on Tuesday, when TVN24 journalist Agata Adamek was not allowed to enter the corridor where the marshal's office is located. As Adamek emphasized, since Hołownia is the marshal, journalists had free access to this corridor, and the marshal himself spoke to the media there many times.
Szymon Hołownia said on Wednesday that Tuesday's situation took place in his absence, when work was being carried out in the marshal's office by services related to, among others, control of pyrotechnic and anti-eavesdropping security.
– Therefore, the officers asked – because this is the procedure – that there should be no people in the corridor when these procedures are being carried out – he pointed out. He noted that it was a mistake on the part of the Marshal's Guard not to inform journalists who wanted to enter the Marshal's corridor.
Adamek's conversation with the Marshal's Guard and the director of the Media Services Office about restrictions for journalistsTVN24
An appeal for trust in the services
The Marshal also appealed to journalists to trust the services and follow their orders. – They are not doing it out of malice or because the marshal came up with something, but because something is happening in the Sejm at the moment – added Hołownia. He also noted that, for example, officers of the Marshal's Guard are often not authorized to inform what is happening in particular places in the parliamentary complex and why they are not allowed access.
– I regret that the situation was not clarified yesterday. (…) However, there will still be situations – I warn you loyally – in which the Marshal's Guard or SOP officers will say “we are very sorry, but please step aside at this time”, because apparently there is some procedure that requires it – he said Hołownia. He also assured that journalists have and will have access to the Marshal's corridor.
The Marshal of the Sejm was also asked why the unchanged formula still applies, issued during the times of Marshal Marek Kuchciński (PIS) an ordinance strictly regulating the places in the Sejm where journalists may stay.
– I need to see what this ordinance looks like before I decide whether to change it. If this order states that the Marshal's Guard – which happened yesterday – has the ability to ask people to leave the marshal's corridor due to other activities, (…) the order makes sense. If it turns out that this management serves to limit the work of the media in the Sejm, then of course it makes no sense – assured Hołownia.
Office announcement
The issue of journalists' work in the Sejm was also addressed by statement from the Chancellery of the Sejm. “In response to several media reports, we emphasize that the Sejm is and will be open to journalists. At the beginning of the current term, the curtains separating the offices of members of the Presidium of the Sejm from the common space disappeared, and journalists have freedom to move around this part of the building where in the previous two terms The Sejm could not move,” it was emphasized.
“It is worth noting that the Parliament is also a common place of work for politicians, officials and journalists. After years of creating obstacles for the media in their work in the building at Wiejska Street, since the beginning of the current term of office, we have been trying to notice their needs and respond to them, as far as possible, positively and respond with kindness,” we read.
Main photo source: TVN24