On 28 April 2026, Andrzej Poczobut, a Polish journalist and activist of the Polish minority in Belarus, regained his freedom. He was released as part of a prisoner exchange between Poland and Belarus at the border near Białowieża.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk personally welcomed him on Polish soil. On the platform X, he published a joint photo with Poczobut and wrote: „Andrzej Poczobut wolny. Witaj w polskim domu, Przyjacielu”.
Poczobut was one of the best-known political prisoners of Aleksandr Lukashenko’s regime. He was detained on 25 March 2021 and sentenced to 8 years in a maximum-security penal colony. He was officially charged with „rehabilitation of Nazism” and „calls for sanctions” – charges widely regarded as politically motivated. For over five years, he endured harsh conditions, including in the penal colony in Novopolotsk.
The release came as a result of months of negotiations, in which the American side also took part. According to the Belarusian state news agency BelTA, several prisoners from both sides were released in the exchange.
President Karol Nawrocki and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski welcomed the news with great joy. Sikorski stressed that Poczobut’s release is a „wonderful day” and an example of an effective Polish-American alliance.
For years, Andrzej Poczobut was a correspondent for „Gazeta Wyborcza” in Belarus, an activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus, and an uncompromising critic of Lukashenko’s regime. He was repeatedly repressed for his journalistic work and his defence of the rights of the Polish minority.
Since returning to Poland, Poczobut is now safe and in good health.
This is one of the most eagerly awaited returns of a Polish political prisoner from Belarus in years.
