DISINFO: Spanish journalist Pablo Gonzalez was tortured and beaten in a Polish prison
SUMMARY
Spanish journalist Pablo Gonzalez was arrested and charged with espionage in February 2022 in the Polish city of Rzeszów, where he covered the arrival of the Ukrainian refugees. Recently, this person was released and handed over to Russia in a prisoner exchange. This reporter, holding Russian and Spanish citizenships, spent more than two years and five months in a Polish prison, where he was tortured, beaten and intimidated.
RESPONSE
This message is a part of a wider narrative about the lack of democracy in Western countries. In this case, it promotes the idea that an “aggressive” Poland persecutes people for their political views.
The message is connected to the recent large-scale exchange of prisoners between Russia, the United States, Germany and other countries.
Pablo Gonzalez is not a Spanish journalist and reporter, but the Russian spy, Pavel Rubtsov, born in Moscow. At the age of 10, he moved to Spain with his mother, where he received the name Pablo Gonzalez. The very fact that Pavel Rubtsov was included by the Kremlin on the exchange list shows that this person is a highly important agent of the Russian special services.
There is no evidence to back up the claim that Pablo Gonzalez was tortured and beaten in a Polish prison. Poland is a democratic state observing prisoner rights.
Read other messages accusing Poland of alleged repressions against the so-called “political dissidents” here such as The Polish special services persecute anyone appealing for talks with Moscow and Minsk and Warsaw is planning to murder the Polish dissident judge hiding in Belarus.