Nawrocki awards Poland’s Order of the White Eagle to Pačobut

May 3, Pozirk. Polish President Karol Nawrocki has awarded the Order of the White Eagle to recently released journalist Andrej Pačobut (Andrzej Paczobut), among others, during a ceremony at the Royal Castle in Warsaw on Poland’s Constitution Day.

The Order is the most important Polish civilian and military distinction. Nawrocki’s office made the announcement of the awards on November 11, 2025, which marked Poland’s Independence Day.

Today, the Polish president described Pačobut as “a hero and a man of unwavering resolve,” according to his Facebook page.

Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja and her team attended the ceremony at Nawrocki’s invitation.

Pačobut has devoted his life to defending the interests of Poles in Belarus, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told TVP Info today. “He risked his life and his freedom, yet spoke with such optimism that I haven’t felt such strong motivation in a long time as I did during my conversation with Pačobut, a man who spent many years behind bars for his beliefs,” Tusk added.

Minsk freed Pačobut on April 28 and handed him over to Poland. The journalist, also known as a contributor to Gazeta Wyborcza, had been held 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 considered him a political prisoner.

His release came after John Coale, the US special envoy for Belarus, met Nawrocki and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in Warsaw on April 27.

Minsk also liberated Polish monk Grzegorz Gaweł and Polish national Tomasz Bieroza as part of a five-for-five exchange at the Belarusian-Polish border.

Poland released Aleksandr Butyagin, a Russian archaeologist arrested at Ukraine’s request over excavations in annexed Crimea. Moldova released Alexandru Bălan, a former deputy chief of Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service, who had been sentenced earlier this month to 18 months in prison for allegedly leaking secret information related to Romania to officers of Belarus’ KGB. Poland also handed over Nina Popova, a Russian citizen.

Warsaw additionally freed 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.

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EU welcomes Pačobut’s release, urges freedom for all jailed dissidents

April 29, Pozirk. The European External Action Service (EEAS) welcomed the release of journalist and Polish minority activist Andrej Pačobut (Andrzej Poczobut), whose case “symbolized the broader repression in Belarus,” Anitta Hipper, EEAS spokeswoman, said on X.  "While we welcome …

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