Jarosław Ziętara was one of the first investigative journalists in post-communist Poland. He worked for a local newspaper, Gazeta Poznańska.’ He disappeared on his way to work on Sept. 1, 1992 – most likely kidnapped and murdered. He was just 24 years old.
While many names of suspects and motives have kept swirling throughout the years, it remains unclear who kidnapped Ziętara to this day and what the exact motives of the perpetrators were. He was preparing a story on Elektromis, a huge Polish enterprise at the time that began its operations buying and selling electronics, and later expanded to buying and selling almost everything. Ziętara’s story centered on money laundering, corruption, fraud, and likely other forms of financial malfeasance going on in Elektromis.
On Dec. 2, 2025, the Court of Appeal in Poznań ruled that there was enough evidence to convict two Elektromis security guards (Mirosław R., ‘’Ryba’’ and Dariusz L. ‘’Lala’’) for kidnapping and handing the journalist over to unidentified perpetrators who most likely murdered him. As the two security guards were acquitted by the District Court, their case is going to back to that Court for a retrial, along with new evidence to be presented.
The Court of Appeal ruled that it was clear that on Sept. 1, 1992, Ziętara was abducted and “died because he was a journalist.” The Judge, Maciej Świergosz, reminded the people in the court that the quote is found on a symbolic tombstone of Ziętara in a Bygdgoszcz cemetry. The quote can also be found on a plaque in Poznań, on Kolejowa 49 Street where Ziętara lived.
The judge pointed out that the quote perfectly captures the motives of the unknown perpetrators. The judge stressed that the charges in the case include kidnapping, forcible confinement, and aiding and abetting murder, further emphasizing that just because no body of the journalist has ever been found isn’t an obstacle to conclude that the murder indeed took place.
The judge said that a myriad of false and fantastical rumors regarding Ziętara’s fate have made solving the case more difficult. Rumors and speculation include the journalist’s relocation to Australia, and even being recruited to work undercover abroad for Polish intelligence services.
Whatever the truth may be, the disappearance of one of the first and youngest Polish investigative journalists in post-communist Poland continues to haunt public opinion to this day. Who ordered the murder of Ziętara remains unsolved. Theories range from being targeted by the newly-formed post-communist Polish intelligence services for learning too much about the huge financial schemes and outright scams, to being taken out by the mafia. Whoever the perpetrators happen to be, it’s glaringly obvious that the young and brave journalist was working on a huge story. So huge that he had to be silenced.
Who knows, as with so many unexplained murders, deaths and disappearances of prominent people in Poland, maybe the answers are stored away in a secret Russian archive in Moscow.
The views expressed are the author’s and not necessarily of Kyiv Post.