The suicide of a Polish politician’s son has shocked the nation
The suicide of the son of an opposition lawmaker, a teenager who was the victim of a pedophile, has sparked grief and criticism from state media in Poland.
The 15-year-old boy killed himself after state television and radio revealed some details about his case. Although they didn’t name him directly, the reports contained enough detail to make him identifiable to the public.
His mother, Magdalena Filiks, MP for the centrist Civic Platform, the main opposition party, announced on social media on Friday that her son Mikołaj died on February 17.
She announced that his funeral would be held in Szczecin, her hometown, on Tuesday, the day before his 16th birthday.
She didn’t give details of the reasons for his death, but she urged the “media” — to put the word in quotation marks — to respect her family’s privacy and stay away from the funeral of the son, whom she referred to with his diminutive Miki related.
Opposition politicians took to Twitter to express sadness, horror and outrage at the news of his death, which comes amid a surge in youth suicides.
Some blamed the state media, controlled by the ruling Law and Justice party, for creating the circumstances that led to the suicide. The boy’s death came more than two years after he suffered the abuse in 2020 – but just weeks after public media began reporting on his case.
Donald Tusk, head of the Civic Platform, vowed to hold Law and Justice “accountable for every villain, human harm and tragedy they caused while in power.”
When he was 13, Mikołaj was harassed by a local Civic Platform politician and an LGBT activist. This man, identified as Krzysztof F., was sentenced to more than four years in prison in 2021 for sexually abusing and selling drugs to minors.
According to the law, the identity of the victim was not disclosed, a standard protection for child victims of sex crimes to prevent further suffering on their part.
Radio Szczecin revealed some details about the case in December. Although the boy’s name was not given, the radio station gave his age and the information that his mother is a legislator. It was enough for people to easily deduce who the boy was.
Since news of the boy’s death broke on Friday, social media in Poland have been filled with condemnation of Radio Szczecin, a unit of state radio, and the journalist involved, as well as other state media who covered the story. Criticism has also been leveled at the Law and Justice Party for using taxpayer-funded state media as a mouthpiece and tool to stay in power.
Radio Szczecin did not report the suicide.
Government spokesman Piot Müller declined to comment on Monday.
The legislature’s tragedy comes in a country bitterly divided and facing elections this fall that will decide whether Law and Justice, a conservative and nationalist party, can survive for a third term.
The traditionally Catholic nation has struggled for years with divisions over revelations of clergy abuse in the church. The ruling party has strong ties to the church and has often argued that sex crimes are not just limited to the church but exist in other areas of life as well.
If you have suicidal thoughts, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255.
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