Poland to slap new sanctions on Belarus over jailed journalist

May 26, BPN. Poland has announced new sanctions against the government of Alaksandr Łukašenka after the Supreme Court in Minsk upheld the eight-year prison sentence of journalist Andrej Pačobut.

Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński described the sentence as “draconian” and said the sanctions will target hundreds of officials. Further details are expected on May 29, he tweeted.

Pačobut, who worked for a Polish newspaper and was a prominent activist for the rights of ethnic Poles in Belarus, was found guilty of undermining national security in February by a regional court in the western city of Hrodna.

His case has strained relations between Belarus and Poland, which hosts many exiled Belarusian opposition activists and supports their pro-democracy movement. Poland closed a major border crossing with Belarus in protest against Pačobut’s verdict and demanded his release.

Alaksandr Łukašenka, who has ruled the ex-Soviet nation with an iron fist for 29 years, rejected any concessions and offered to swap Pačobut for Pavieł Łatuška, a former diplomat and culture minister who joined the opposition and fled to Poland after the 2020 presidential election.

Łatuška’s group NAM presses for tougher sanctions against Łukašenka’s rule and transfer power to the people.

The EU has imposed sanctions on Belarus for its crackdown on dissent and its role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The measures include travel bans and asset freezes on officials and entities, as well as trade and financial restrictions. Poland, an EU member, supports the sanctions.