Łukasz Masiak
 |
Łukasz Masiak | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 1, 1986 |
| Died | June 14, 2015 (aged 31) Mlawa, Poland |
| Cause of death | Beaten to death |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse | 1 |
| Children | 2 |
Łukasz Masiak (January 1, 1986 - June 14, 2015) was a Polish investigative journalist who worked for a local internet news portal NaszaMlawa.pl in Mlawa, Poland before his death. (SOURCE)
Personal
Lukas Masiak was a native of Mlawa, a small town in north-central Poland. He lived there with his wife and two children, a four-year-old daughter and a four-month-old son. [1] [2].
Career
Masiak worked as an editor for the website NaszaMlawa.pl. His site reported on many controversial issues, often involving businessmen, drugs, Roma citizens, and even the botched investigation into the death of a young woman [3]. He also reported on local mixed martial arts competitors, and was interested in not only their fight, but also the interests outside the MMA [4] [5]. He was considered one of the most recognized journalists in the region because of his ability to undertake the controversial topics (EFJ). His writing was seen as bold, honest, and creative, which made him highly regarded in the journalistic community (Nasz@Mlawa).
Death
Death: On June 14, 2015, at approximately 2 A.M., Masiak was attacked in the bathroom of a bowling alley(Index on Censorship) (IPS). The perpetrator turned Masiak around, and used a powerful kick to Masiak’s head. After the beating, he was left unconscious on the floor. He suffered a severe head injury, resulting in a brain hemorrhage [4]. Despite a 50-minute resuscitation attempt (poslkatimes.pl), his injuries proved fatal (niezalezna.pl).
Investigation: Masiak reported being threatened a number of times prior to his death (se.pl). Some of these threats included letters and phone calls. In December 2014, he was sent his own obituary, and in January 2014, he was the victim of a physical assault near his home, claiming to have been tear gassed. Both of these cases were treated seriously, but investigators were unable to tie the occurrences to suspects [3]. At the time of Masiak’s death, the police arrested two suspects, but neither were the alleged perpetrator (niesalesna.pl w/ quotes). The police released an arrest warrant for Bartosz Nowicki, a 29-year-old man who is an instructor at the local club martial arts MMA [4] [5]. However, no one was ever arrested for the murder.
Funeral: Several hundred people attended Masiak’s funeral. He was cremated, and his urn was laid to rest in a cemetery at St. Lawrence. Father Jacek Marciniak, the priest who presided at the ceremony, did not address the circumstances of Masiak’s death. Instead, he asked for donation and prayer intentions. The family of the deceased asked that mourners donate their money toward the treatment for 9-year-old cancer patient Iga Rudnicka. (polskiradio.pl)
Context
While the death of Lukas Masiak had no direct impact on any specific situation, it was one of many deaths throughout Europe. There was an increase in the deaths of journalists during 2015, which were related to terrorist attacks, unjustified arrests, assaults, harassment, threats and thought legal restrictions making it harder for editors, reporters, and photographers to efficiently make an account of the occurrences of the year. Even Poland, Masiak’s home country, had plans to reform its media after so many attacks on journalists reporting on terrorism. However, these plans sparked concerns about editorial independence. The death of Masiak and others that have been killed are spreading the message across Europe that new rules surrounding the protection and safety of journalists are needed to ensure that right to report freely (politico.eu)
Impact
Masiak was well known for his reporting on crime in Mlawa and the surrounding region (osce.org). He covered controversial issues that few other reporters would cover, and he reported on local administration in the Mlawa town (nuj.org). His news portal was widely read across Mlawa, and was highly regarded by other journalists for his hard work, intuition, and honesty (naszamlawa.pl w/quotes).
Reactions
Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, commented on Masiak’s death, saying “I condemn the murder of Lukas Masiak. I call on the authorities to carry out a thorough investigation into this crime. Journalists play a vital role in protecting citizens’ rights to be informed and calling those in power to account. It is imperative that the perpetrators of this killing be brought to justice” (en.unesco.org).
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatovic also spoke out about Masiak’s death. “This is a tragedy and a horrific reminder of the dangers journalists face around the world… Journalists are increasingly targeted because of their profession and what they say and write, and this trend has to stop” (osce.org).
The Association of Polish Journalists said that “Lukasz Masiak was an esteemed and courageous journalist working for a local news portal. We are very saddened to learn of his death and deeply concerned that decisive response of law enforcement authorities comes only after the murder of the journalist” (nuj.org.uk).
See also
Temporary urls
- cpj[5]
- cpjoverview[6]
- politico[7]
- efj[1]
- indexoncensorship
- niezalezna[8]
- naszamlawa1[9]
- naszamlawa2[10]
- se[11]
- fakt[4]
- polskatimes[12]
- rp[2]
- pressreader[13]
- unesco[14]
- osce[15]
- hfhr[16]
- nuj[17]
- polskieradio[18]
References
- ^ a b "Poland: Journalist Lukasz Masiak beaten to death". European Federation of Journalists. June 23, 2015.
- ^ a b "Portal „naszamlawa.pl" został wystawiony na sprzedaż. Zabójca jego twórcy Łukasza Masiaka, wciąż jest na wolności". rp.pl. August 18, 2015.
- ^ a b Lussier, Natalie (June 24, 2015). "Poland: Journalist Lukasz Masiak fatally beaten". Index on Censorship.
- ^ a b c d "Jest list gończy za zabójcą dziennikarza z Mławy!". Fakt.pl. March 19, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Łukasz Masiak - Journalists Killed". Committee to Protect Journalists. June 14, 2015.
- ^ Mackenzie, Katherine (January 1, 2016). "CPJ: Two Thirds of 2015 Journalist Deaths were Acts of Reprisal". Inter Press Service.
- ^ Spence, Alex (December 30, 2015). "2015, an awful year for Europe's free media". Poltico (EU).
- ^ "Przez który artykuł zginął Łukasz Masiak?". niezalezna.pl.
- ^ "Nie żyje Łukasz Masiak, twórca i dziennikarz portalu naszamlawa.pl". Nasza Mława.
- ^ "Łukasz Masiak 1983-2015". Nasza Mława.
- ^ "Łukasz Masiak NIE ŻYJE. Kim był dziennikarz z Mławy od "trudnych spraw"? Grożono mu wielokrotnie". sl.pl.
- ^ "Zatrzymano dwie osoby zamieszane w śmierć Łukasza Masiaka". polskatimes.pl. June 15, 2015.
- ^ "Nasza Dziwna Mlawa". Gazeta Wyborcza.
- ^ "Director-General condemns killing of Polish journalist Lukasz Masiak". UNESCO.
- ^ "OSCE media freedom representative condemns killing of journalist in Poland". OSCE. June 23, 2015.
- ^ "Helsińska Fundacja Praw Człowieka » HFHR comments on killing of journalist from local news portal".
- ^ "IFJ & EFJ condemn the murder of journalist beaten to death in Poland". National Union of Journalists. June 24, 2015.
- ^ "Pogrzeb dziennikarza. Łukasz Masiak został zabity kilka dni temu".
External links