Warsaw – Andrzej Poczobut, a well‑known Polish‑Belarusian journalist and activist, stepped across the Polish‑Belarusian border on Tuesday morning and headed straight to his hometown of Grodno. The move comes just five months after he was released from a Belarusian prison as part of a high‑profile prisoner exchange that sent him to Poland.
Background and imprisonment
Poczobut, a member of Belarus’s Polish minority, was arrested in March 2021 and, in 2023, sentenced to eight years on charges of inciting ethnic hatred and endangering Belarusian national security. International observers, including the Polish government, have repeatedly called the charges politically motivated and demanded his release.
Return to Belarus
According to Gazeta Wyborcza, the Polish newspaper with which Poczobut has long collaborated, he crossed the border on Tuesday and plans to spend about a week in Grodno. During his visit he intends to meet family members and colleagues from the Union of Poles in Belarus, an organization that works to preserve Polish culture and language in the region.
When asked if fear influenced his decision, Poczobut replied, “I found myself in a situation anyone would fear. I’m scared too. But in life, you shouldn’t let fear guide you.” His statement underscores the personal courage required to return to a country where dissent is routinely punished.
International recognition
In 2025, the European Parliament awarded Poczobut the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in absentia, recognizing his “brave fight for freedom of expression and the democratic future” of Belarus. The award highlights the broader Western consensus that his imprisonment was a clear violation of fundamental human‑rights standards.
Reactions from the Belarusian opposition
Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya praised Poczobut’s decision as “an act of extraordinary courage,” while cautioning that his return does not signal any easing of repression. “Arrests, criminal cases, searches and intimidation continue across the country,” she said, reaffirming that the Lukashenko regime remains hostile to dissent.
Tsikhanouskaya is widely regarded by Western governments as the legitimate winner of the disputed 2020 presidential election, a contest that President Alexander Lukashenko claims to have won amid widespread allegations of fraud.
What this means for the region
Poczobut’s return serves as a potent reminder that the struggle for free expression in Belarus persists, even as neighboring Poland continues to advocate for the rights of its ethnic kin. The episode also illustrates the delicate balance between diplomatic engagement and the need to call out human‑rights abuses.
For families of political prisoners and advocates of religious and cultural liberty, Poczobut’s journey underscores the importance of standing firm in the face of authoritarian pressure, a principle that aligns with the values of faith, family, and individual liberty championed by our community.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
