Europe

Polish writer could be jailed for describing president as ‘moron’ on social media

Polish writer Jakub Zulczyk is facing possible jail time after he criticized Polish President Andrzej Duda and referred to him as a “moron” on social media.

According to The Associated Press, Zulczyk slammed Duda in a Facebook post where he responded to the president’s reaction to President Biden winning the 2020 presidential election.

Duda, who was a close ally of former President Trump, congratulated Biden on a successful campaign while stating that Poland was still waiting for a “nomination by the Electoral College.”

“Joe Biden is the 46th president of the United States. Andrzej Duda is a moron,” Zulczyk wrote on Facebook, noting that he had a master’s degree in American studies and that he had never heard of a “nomination by the Electoral College,” the AP reported.

On Monday, Zulczyk wrote in a Facebook post that an indictment had been filed against him by a district prosecutor. He said that due to an article in the penal code it is considered a crime to insult the president.

Dwie śmieszne sprawy. Pierwsza – powiedziałem się właśnie, że Prokuratura Rejonowa Warszawa Śródmieście Północ…

Posted by Jakub Żulczyk on Monday, March 22, 2021

Zulczyk, who is known for writing a novel that was adapted into the HBO crime series “Blinded by the Lights,” also noted that he may be “the first writer in this country in a long time to be tried for what they wrote.”

Insulting Polish presidents has resulted in charges for Polish citizens in the past. Due to the country’s laws, fines and community service have been given as punishment in the country’s post-communist era, according to AP.