Poland to close border crossing, impose sanctions on Minsk for Poczobut’s imprisonment

February 9, BPN. Poland has announced its decision to close the Bierastavica-Bobrowniki border crossing on February 10.

Mariusz Kamiński, the country’s interior minister, said that the checkpoint will be closed until further notice “in connection with a matter of state security.”

Kamiński tweeted his decision a minute after Warsaw had announced that it would impose new sanctions on Belarus over a lengthy prison sentence for a Polish minority activist.

Vehicles and travelers cannot cross the Belarusian-Polish border in Bruzhi, Piesčatka and Damačava by decision of the Polish side, according to the Belarusian State Border Committee.

The only checkpoint that remains open for cargo traffic is Kazlovičy – Kururyki. Brest – Terespol is the only open border crossing handling passenger traffic.

The Bierastavica checkpoint’s daily capacity is 900 passenger vehicles and 500 trucks. The Brest checkpoint’s maximum daily traffic capacity (from Belarus to Poland) is 1,700 passenger vehicles.

The Hrodna Regional Court on February 8 sentenced reporter and Polish minority activist Andrzej Poczobut to eight years in prison, state-run media outlets reported.

Judge Dźmitryj Bubienčyk tried him behind closed doors and found him guilty of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions that harmed the national security of Belarus.