Belarus frees journalist Andrej Pačobut

April 28, Pozirk. Belarusian state-run media have reported the release and transfer from Belarus to Poland of journalist and Polish minority activist Andrej Pačobut in a five-for-five exchange at the Belarusian-Polish border.

20:40

Our live coverage has now ended.

20:14

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomes his release but calls on the Belarusian authorities to immediately free the 21 journalists still detained.

20:12

“While this and the release of other political prisoners are moments to celebrate, we must not lose sight of the fact that Aleksandr Lukashenko and his regime are not stepping away from their authoritarian path,” said Article 19.

19:55

Belarus also handed over Tomasz Bieroza, a Polish citizen sentenced to 14 years on in prison on spying charges seen by Belarusian rights defenders as politically motivated, Belarusian state media reported.

Poland handed over Nina Popova, a Russian citizen, and Uładzisłaŭ Nadziejka, a former member of Paspalitaje Rušenne, an organization that provided weapons handling and fitness training for exiled Belarusians. He was arrested in Białystok and accused by Polish investigators of spying for Belarus.

So far we know that Belarus freed Pačobut, Gaweł and Bieroza, while Poland, Moldova and their partneers released two Russians, Butyagin and Popova, Moldovan spy Bălan and Nadziejka.

18:21

Poczobut told Gazeta Wyborcza that guards woke him up at 3 a.m. to prepare for a transfer.

“I thought it would be good if I am transferred to the high-security prison in Mahiloŭ. I was even happy because the conditions are better there than in Navapołack. But I was surprised when they told me to take my things.”

He said he initially refused to be taken to Poland. “I asked for guarantees that I will be allowed to come back. They brought an official from the presidential administration and phoned the Polish charge d’affaires. I asked him whether I will be able to return to Belarus. He confirmed it. Belarusian officials also confirmed it.”

17:49

The Polish prime minister’s office declined to identify one of those released, describing the person as a Belarusian who cooperated with Poland’s security service.

17:46

US Envoy Coale said he plans to travel to Belarus in two or three weeks, noting that Washington seeks the release of all political prisoners.

17:18

What we know so far: Minsk released and handed over to Poland journalist and Polish minority activist Andrej Pačobut (Andrzej Poczobut) and Polish monk Grzegorz Gaweł and in a five-for-five exchange at the Belarusian-Polish border.

In exchange, Poland released Aleksandr Butyagin, a Russian archeologist arrested in Poland at Ukraine’s request over excavations in annexed Crimea, while Moldova released Alexandru Bălan, a former deputy chief of Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service sentenced to 18 months in prison earlier this month for allegedly leaking secret information relating to Romania to officers of Belarus’ KGB.

17:10

Andżelika Borys, Belarus-based chairwoman of the unofficial Union of Poles in Belarus, says Pačobut has not been restricted from returning to Belarus.

17:06

EP President Roberta Metsola on X: “Very happy to see @Europarl_EN Sakharov Prize laureate Andrzej Poczobut free.”

17:03

President Nawrocki: Pačobut is “the man who proved how strong Polish identity is and his commitment to Polish values, and who paid for it a very high price in the Łukašenka regime’s tough prison.” He invited the journalist to his presidential palace to receive a White Eagle Order, Poland’s top award.

16:55

Sikorski expressed hope for a reset in relations between Minsk and Warsaw, but stressed that Łukašenka must take the initiative, PAP reported.

“I don’t want to make empty promises, because we have already had such false dawns,” he said, noting that bilateral relations improved in the past when Belarus held no political prisoners.

16:48

Poland released Aleksandr Butyagin, a Russian archeologist arrested in Poland at Ukraine’s request over excavations in annexed Crimea, while Moldova released Alexandru Bălan, a former deputy chief of Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service sentenced to 18 months in prison earlier this month for allegedly leaking secret information relating to Romania to officers of Belarus’ KGB.

16:39

Belarus also freed Polish monk Grzegorz Gaweł arrested on suspicion of spying for Poland.

16:16

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and US Special Envoy John Coale held a news conference in Warsaw on the occasion.

16:13

“I am very glad that journalist Andrej Pačobut, a real hero, has been released from Łukašenka’s prison. But we should not forget that this prison still holds hundreds of political prisoners waiting to be released. Let’s fight for their release until all Belarusian prisoners are free,” said Aleś Bialacki, head of the Viasna Human Rights Center.

15:53

Tusk is to give a news conference in Warsaw at 16:30 (local time). Pačobut may participate. Polish TV will broadcast it live.

15:50

“Andrzej Poczobut, a political prisoner of the Łukaszenka regime, a Knight 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 all those who worked toward this success,” said Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

15:48

“Deeply grateful to everybody who fought hard for the release of Andrzej Poczobut. An unbreakable hero, he was held hostage by the regime in Belarus for simply telling the truth,” Belarus’ opposition laeader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja said.

15:45

The US ambassador to Poland said on X:

America delivers for its friends and allies. Under @POTUS’s leadership, and with determined diplomacy led by Special Envoy for Belarus John Coale, Andrzej Poczobut is now free from detention in Belarus and can once again embrace his family. Our partners in Poland worked side by side with us to secure his release. We appreciate the incredible work of the Polish Special Services and Ministry of Foreign Affairs @MSZ_RP to get this done. That is what real partners do.

15:41

Coale posted on X:

Today, in my role as President Trump’s Special Envoy for Belarus, my team and I helped secure the release of three Poles and two Moldovans. This historic outcome was made possible thanks to @POTUS Trump’s leadership, @ChrisWelbySmith and his team @StateDept, and close coordination with several trusted partners. We thank Poland, Moldova, and Romania for their invaluable support in this effort, as well as President Lukashenka’s willingness to pursue constructive engagement with the United States. Under President Trump, America shows up for its allies and delivers diplomatic victories no one else can.

15:38

Tusk thanked “Moldovan friends” among others for Pačobut’s release.

15:34

15:30

Belarus’ state media said that the Committee for State Security (KGB) and Poland’s Intelligence Agency engaged in negotiations on Pačobut’s release since September 2025 on instructions from Alaksandar Łukašenka.

Łukašenka gave the green light for the negotiations after appeals “from the leaders of certain friendly countries” and was personally involved in the discussions. In all, secret agencies of seven countries were involved in the talks, state media reported without specifying the countries.

The five-for-five exchange resulted in the release of unnamed Belarusian citizens “who were carrying out especially important tasks in the interests of national security and defense capability of our country,” according to the state media.

Počobut was released after John Coale, the US special envoy for Belarus, met with Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in Warsaw on April 27.

14:46

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has confirmed Pačobut’s release by posting on X a photo with the journalist at the border and welcoming him in Poland.  

A press conference is expected shortly at the Polish foreign ministry.

Pačobut, a contributor to Gazeta Wyborcza, had 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.

Pačobut was arrested on March 25, 2021, when masked police raided his home in Hrodna. That same day, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced criminal proceedings against him and other individuals.

The case was opened under Part Three of Article 130 of the Criminal Code, which penalizes incitement to racial, ethnic, religious, or other social hatred, as well as “the rehabilitation of Nazism.”

“The individuals. . . organized and held a number of illegal mass events with the participation of under-18s in Hrodna and other localities in the region since 2018. These events aimed to honor members of anti-Soviet gangs active during and after the [1941–1945] Great Patriotic War, who committed robberies, murdered Belarusian civilians, and destroyed property. Their actions were intended to rehabilitate Nazism and justify the genocide of the Belarusian people,” the Prosecutor General’s Office claimed.

Later, prosecutors also accused Pačobut of calling for sanctions. In 2022, he refused to petition Alaksandar Łukašenka for a pardon. The Committee for State Security (KGB) subsequently placed him on its list of “persons involved in terrorist activities.”

Politics

Politics

Poland’s Senate demands release of journalist Andrej Pačobut

April 22, Pozirk. Poland’s Senate has adopted, without reservations, a resolution demanding the release of journalist Andrzej Poczobut (Andrej Pačobut) from a Belarusian prison. The vote was timed to coincide with the 5th anniversary of his imprisonment. The resolution calls …

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