November 11, Pozirk. Polish President Karol Nawrocki has awarded journalist Andrzej Poczobut, held in a Belarusian prison in a politically-motivated case, an Order of the White Eagle, the most important Polish civilian and military distinction.
Nawrocki’s office has made the announcement on Poland’s Independence Day, describing Poczobut as a Polish-Belarusian journalist, author, blogger and Polish minority activist.
Last month, Poczobut won the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
Poczobut, a contributor to Gazeta Wyborcza, has been in custody since March 2021. In February 2023, the Hrodna Regional Court sentenced him to eight years in prison after Judge Dźmitryj Bubienčyk found him guilty of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions. Human rights defenders have recognized him as a political prisoner.
In response, Poland closed the Bobrowniki border crossing with Belarus, linking its reopening to Poczobut’s release.
