“It is a great day. We are happy that Andrzej Poczobut has been released – a hero of Poland and of Belarusians fighting for freedom and democracy. This is the result of enormous work not only by the Polish authorities, but also by the American side, which conducted negotiations with Minsk. It is an undeniable success that had been awaited for more than five years,” said Pavel Latushko, one of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition, in an interview with the Niezalezna.pl portal. “Let us now give Poczobut time to rebuild his health, recover, and be with his family. I think that later Andrzej will tell everyone what he went through behind the walls of a Belarusian penal colony, how he was tortured,” added Alexander Zarambyuk, an opposition activist and head of the Belarusian House Foundation in Warsaw.
Polish journalist Andrzej Poczobut is free. His release took place during a prisoner exchange with Belarus mediated by U.S. services. The behind-the-scenes details are now known. This was made possible thanks to the involvement of the Chancellery of President Karol Nawrocki and his very good relations with the Trump administration.
“Andrzej Poczobut, a political prisoner of the Lukashenko regime, a recipient of the Order of the White Eagle, is free! I thank the President of the United States Donald Trump for securing the release of our compatriot. I thank everyone who worked for this success,” wrote the President of Poland on the social media platform “X”.
The president added that he had invited Poczobut to the Presidential Palace to personally receive the Order of the White Eagle. The highest Polish state decoration was awarded to the activist and columnist on November 11, on Independence Day.
“A great day”
“It is a great day. We are happy that Andrzej Poczobut has been released – a hero of Poland and of Belarusians fighting for freedom and democracy. This is the result of enormous work not only by the Polish authorities, but also by the American side, which conducted negotiations with Minsk. It is an undeniable success that had been awaited for more than five years,” said Pavel Latushko in an interview with the Niezalezna.pl portal.
“Let us remember, however, that there are still 850 political prisoners in Belarus, and Alexander Lukashenko continues his repression against society,” he added.
“To be honest, I burst into tears when I saw the photo of Andrzej Poczobut and the condition he is in after more than five years of captivity. This confirms how the Belarusian dictator treats prisoners,” emphasized Alexander Zarambyuk, a Belarusian opposition activist and head of the Belarusian House Foundation in Warsaw.
“We must thank the special envoy of President Donald Trump. Thanks to his involvement, many political prisoners in Belarus have been released, including very well-known figures. It was his visits and direct talks that led to today’s exchange with the Belarusian side, and Poczobut is already in Poland. What matters is that he is here – certainly not healthy, but importantly, alive,” he added.
“I think that one of Poczobut’s first actions will be to receive the Order of the White Eagle from President Karol Nawrocki, as well as other distinctions, including the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize,” our interlocutor believes.
“Now let us give Poczobut time to rebuild his health, recover, and spend time with his family. I think that later Andrzej will tell everyone what he went through behind the walls of a Belarusian penal colony, how he was tortured,” Zarambyuk concluded.
