Polish Psychiatrist Faces Hurdles Reporting Death Threats

The news in Polish

1. psychoterapeutka (f.)
   osoba leczącą zaburzenia psychiczne za pomocą psychoterapii ↩︎
2. groźba (f.)
   wyrażenie zamiaru wyrządzenia komuś krzywdy ↩︎
3. przyjęty
   zaakceptowane lub uznane jako właściwe ↩︎
4. reforma (f.)
   zmiana na lepsze w jakimś systemie ↩︎
5. zgłoszenie (n.)
   akt przekazywania informacji lub skargi do odpowiednich organów ↩︎

Translation

Text Comprehension

Question: Who struggled to report death threats in Poland?

Question: What does Maja Herman believe is necessary for citizens reporting crimes?

Vocabulary

Polish	English
psychoterapeutka (f.)	psychotherapist
groźba (f.)	threat
próba (f.)	attempt
przyjęty	accepted
reforma (f.)	reform
zgłoszenie (n.)	report

Read the full story

Herman reported receiving threatening messages from an anonymous user on Platform X, following her remarks at a parliamentary health committee session about pseudoscientific content and anti-vaccine movements. She included evidence of the threats in the form of screenshots, which the platform subsequently recognized as inciting violence and removed.

However, when attempting to report these threats to local police in Pruszków, Herman encountered obstacles. Initially, she was told by an officer that her report could not be processed due to staffing issues, and was advised to try again the following day. Despite this, she proceeded to another police station, only to be met with a similar response.

Perseverance paid off later that night when, after waiting for several hours, an officer finally assured her that her report would be taken. It was only following this that Herman was able to officially file her complaint, although she noted that the process was unnecessarily drawn out.

Further complicating matters, a comment on her post suggested that the situation escalated to the attention of the interior minister, Tomasz Siemoniak, who reportedly intervened to expedite police action. While this claim was quickly deleted, it highlights concerns about the accessibility of system interventions for the average citizen and whether such swift responses are uniformly applied.

Herman has called for reforms within the police reporting system, advocating for the development of an online platform for filing reports, alongside public information campaigns to educate citizens on reporting processes. She emphasized that the goal is not to criticize the police but to enable them to function more effectively while ensuring public safety.

The incident has sparked conversations on social media about the reliability and responsiveness of the police force in Poland, especially in urgent and potentially dangerous situations. Herman’s case sheds light on the pressing need for procedural improvements to better protect individuals who are targeted by online threats.

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