“RSF welcomes the release of Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut, who was arbitrarily detained for more than five years. While this is excellent news, his release came as part of a prisoner exchange, illustrating the Lukashenko regime’s continued instrumentalisation of political prisoners. RSF calls on the Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the 21 other journalists still detained.

Confirmed by several Polish and US officials following a prisoner exchange, Andrzej Poczobut’s release was the result of two years of complex diplomatic negotiations. “Welcome home to Poland, my friend,” Donald Tusk wrote on X as he greeted Andrzej Poczobut at the border. The Polish prime minister also reported the journalist’s first words after his release were: “Will I be able to go back [to Belarus]?”

Arrested on 25 March 2021 during a raid on his home in the city of Hrodna, Andrzej Poczobut, a contributor to Polish media outlets Gazeta Wyborcza and TVP Polonia, was sentenced in February 2023 for “inciting hatred” and “calling for actions aimed at harming national security” after a politically motivated trial. Well-known within Belarus’s Polish minority, his case became a symbol of the repression targeting independent journalists under Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. He had been persecuted by the authorities for many years for his journalistic work and activism. Prison conditions had raised growing concern, particularly because of his serious heart problems that went untreated during his detention, which was marked by harsh conditions and prolonged isolation.