Key facts
- Polish-Belarusian journalist and activist Andrzej Poczobut has returned to Belarus for a visit.
- Poczobut was freed from a Belarusian prison and transferred to Poland in April as part of a prisoner exchange.
Andrzej Poczobut, a Polish-Belarusian journalist and activist, has returned to Belarus for a visit nearly five months after being freed from a Belarusian prison and transferred to Poland. He was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of inciting ethnic hatred and harming national security.
Andrzej Poczobut's return to Belarus, despite facing politically motivated charges and imprisonment, highlights the ongoing human rights concerns and political tensions within the country. His act of courage underscores the risks faced by activists and journalists operating under authoritarian regimes.
WARSAW, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Polish-Belarusian journalist and activist Andrzej Poczobut has returned to Belarus for a visit, nearly five months after he was freed from a Belarusian prison and transferred to Poland in a prisoner exchange. Poczobut, a member of Belarus' Polish minority, was arrested in March 2021 and sentenced in 2023 to eight years in prison on charges of inciting ethnic hatred and harming Belarusian national security. Poland had stated the charges were politically motivated and repeatedly called for his release. Upon his release in April, Poczobut immediately expressed a desire to return to Belarus. Gazeta Wyborcza reported that Poczobut crossed the Polish-Belarusian border on Tuesday morning, heading to his hometown of Grodno. He intends to meet his family and colleagues from the Union of Poles in Belarus during his expected week-long trip. When asked about fear, Poczobut acknowledged being scared but stated that one should not let fear guide them in life. Belarusian exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya praised Poczobut's decision as an act of extraordinary courage, emphasizing that his return does not signify a thaw in Belarus, as arrests and intimidation continue.