February 22, Pozirk. PEN International, a literary and freedom of expression association, has called for the immediate release of Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut (Andrej Pačobut).
“Poczobut, a voice for the silenced, is paying a devastating price for his unwavering commitment to truth and justice,” said Urtzi Urrutikoetxea, chair of the association’s linguistic rights committee. “Locked away, deprived of the very freedoms he seeks to protect, his persecution is a chilling reminder of the lengths to which the Belarusian authorities will go to crush dissent.”
PEN International expressed solidarity with the journalist and all those unjustly imprisoned. “No one should be punished for speaking out,” Urrutikoetxea stressed.
“Poczobut’s case is emblematic of the type of oppression experienced by writers and journalists who speak up for the rights of oppressed minorities. PEN International calls for his immediate release, as well as the provision of adequate healthcare pending his release,” the statement reads.
Poczobut, a correspondent for Gazeta Wyborcza and a Polish minority activist in Belarus, was sentenced to eight years in prison in February 2023, prompting Poland to indefinitely close one of its border checkpoints with the country.
Belarusian ruler Alaksandar Łukašenka claimed that Warsaw has abandoned Poczobut and that the journalist does not wish to go to Poland. Despite this, Polish officials, including Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and President Andrzej Duda, have been working through various channels to secure Poczobut’s release.
