Poczobut awarded Poland’s Order of the White Eagle
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.
Łukašenka accuses Poland of violating a deal on Poczobut's release
October 31, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka has accused Warsaw of breaking agreements involving the reopening of border crossings on the Belarusian-Polish border and the release of jailed journalist Andrzej Poczobut after Warsaw postponed the reopening by several weeks. Poczobut, also known …
