Putin, like Lukašenka, is responsible for Poles rotting in Belarusian prisons – Łączy nas Polska Foundation

January 30, BPN. The leader of the unofficial union of Poles in Belarus, Angelika Borys, and the activist of the organization, journalist Andrzej Poczobut, have been behind bars for 10 months because they are proud Poles, a fact that Vladimir Putin and Aliaksandr Lukašenka cannot tolerate, reads the statement of the Łączy nas Polska (Unite Us Poland) Foundation.

On January 29, a picket in support of Borys and Poczobut was held in Gdańsk. “It is our duty to remember them and do everything to free them,” the Foundation is convinced.

The event took place in front of the Consulate General of Russia. The choice of the venue was explained by the fact that “it is Putin who is Lukašenka’s protector and it is Putin who has completely subjugated the actions of this regime.”

“We must not forget that Putin, like Lukašenka, is responsible for the hybrid attack on the Polish Republic (migration crisis – BPN) and for the fact that our compatriots are rotting in Belarusian prisons,” the organizers of the picket noted.

In their opinion, Borys and Poczobut are “brave people who pay a huge price for their commitment to Poland and to freedom.” “They are in prison because they defend the language of their ancestors, our culture, and glorious history. They are imprisoned because they love freedom,” the Foundation said.

Łączy nas Polska positions itself as a foundation uniting “around the idea of an effective, just, and strong state”: “We know that our compatriots living abroad love Poland as much as we do. We believe that together we could give Polonia’s unused potential a chance.”

Angelika Borys was detained on March 23, 2021. The next day she was arrested for 15 days for organizing the traditional crafts festival Hrodna Kaziuki 2021 on March 7. On March 25, the General Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the opening of a criminal case against Borys and “other persons” under the Article 130, part 3 of the Criminal Code (deliberate actions aimed at inciting national and religious enmity and discord on the grounds of national, religious, linguistic and other social affiliation, as well as the rehabilitation of Nazism, committed by a group of persons).

Andrzej Poczobut was detained on March 25 after a search of his house. The journalist was interrogated at the central office of the Investigative Committee, after which he was placed in the pre-trial detention center No. 1 on Valadarskaha Street in Minsk as a suspect in the same criminal case.

On January 18, 2022, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, at a meeting with Paviel Latuška, the head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, former official and diplomat, stated that Warsaw “has supported and will support a democratic, strong and sovereign Belarus as well as all Belarusian forces that are committed to this cause.”