Poland summons Belarusian envoy over reporter’s imprisonment

February 9, BPN. The Polish foreign ministry summoned Alaksandr Časnoŭski, the Belarusian chargé d’affaires, on February 8 over the imprisonment of reporter and Polish minority activist Andrzej Poczobut.

“We do not consider the verdict to be fair,” said Łukasz Jasina, a spokesperson for the ministry, tweeted. “The actions against Andrzej Poczobut and Poland in Belarus are disgraceful. We will continue all legitimate efforts that will lead to his release.”

Poczobut’s eight-year prison sentence is a shameful act and another manifestation of Belarusian authorities’ crackdown on society, said Marcin Przydacz, the Polish president’s international policy advisor. It will not go unnoticed, he added. Poland calls for an immediate end to anti-Polish activities and the release of political prisoners, he wrote on Twitter.

The Committee on Liaison with Poles Abroad at the Polish Sejm urged the government and the EU to impose sanctions against those involved in the persecution of Poczobut and Polish minority activists in Belarus.

The Belarusian Association of Journalists, the European and international federations of journalists also demanded the reporter’s release.

On February 8, a court in Hrodna found Poczobut guilty of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions. He has been in custody since March 2021.

Last fall, Poczobut refused to petition Alaksandr Łukašenka for pardon. The Committee for State Security (KGB) put him on the list of “persons involved in terrorist activities.”