New champions for media liberty and freedom of expression in the heart of Europe are rising on the Internet.

The Foundation for Free Speech and the Siec (the Polish word for мnetworkо) have a temporary website at http://www.erols.com/mietek.

The foundation was established in 1993 when post-Solidarity parties lost parliamentary elections in Poland and the need seemed clear for additional independent voices to support the democratic transition in Poland and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe. The Siec is an information service founded in 1992 that posts original articles, reviews and news of events regarding Poland and other countries of the region.

The organizations have asked the more than 700 institutions and individuals who receive the Siec by electronic mail to offer their advice in helping them achieve their goal of creating a Washington-based think-tank online.

From its origin, the Foundation for Free Speech has sought to be a transatlantic bridge for democratic movements in Poland and the region. Those movements found themselves under siege as voters reacted to painful transitions to free-market systems. Post-communists made gains in Poland and elsewhere, but those gains have been curbed and even reversed in Poland, Lithuania, and in Slovakia with the ouster at the polls of Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar.

The online think-tank, as it is envisioned, will link representatives of media, NGOs, scholarly and governmental groups. The organization would not reflect any ideology or interest but would provide information to professionals and individuals regarding Central Europe.

For information about the foundation contact Ted Meus at Foundation for Free Speech, P.O. Box 904, Maywood, Ill., 60153-0904, U.S.A. Tel: (708) 343-6681. Fax: (708) 343-6754. The director of the Siec is Michael Szporer, e-mail: mszporer@polaris.umuc.edu.