On Wednesday, a Belarusian court sentenced Polish minority association journalist and activist Andrzej Poczobut (Belarusian Andrej Pachobut) to eight years in prison on charges by the authorities, among other things, of “inciting social hatred”. Belarusian human rights organization Vyasna and opposition website Naša Niva provided information on this issue. Warsaw described the sentence as unfair and condemned it.
Poczobut, 49, faced charges of “inciting societal hatred”, “reforming Nazism” and “activities that undermine national security”, and was sentenced to five to 12 years in prison, according to previous information from the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. The court sent him to a penal colony with a strict regime for eight years.
Seeing the man as a political prisoner, Vyasna noted that the trial, which started in mid-January, took place behind closed doors and the verdict was announced.
Belarusian-Polish journalist Andrzej Poczobut was sentenced to 8 years in prison for doing his job. This is Lukashenka’s personal revenge. Andrzej refused any deal with the illegal regime. Now we must do everything possible to free him along with all the other political hostages. pic.twitter.com/hpfU0JJUvQ
— Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (@Tsihanouskaya) February 8, 2023
“We condemn the unjust punishment imposed by the court of an authoritarian state. Andrzej Poczobut is a Polish and Belarusian patriot,” he said. excitement Lukasz Jasina, spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Cichanouská he marked Prison sentence for “personal feud” of Belarusian authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko. According to him, the journalist was convicted for doing his job. “Andrzej refused any deal with the illegal regime. Now we must do everything to free him along with all the other political hostages,” wrote Cichanouská.
Source: Seznam Zpravy
I am Joel Fitzgerald, a news website author for The News Dept. I have worked in the media and journalism industry for over 10 years and specialize in world news. My articles have been featured in prominent publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, where I am an expert contributor on global affairs.
I also write extensively on topics related to politics, economics, business, finance and technology. My work has been recognized with numerous awards from organizations such as the United Nations Press Corps and Associated Press Editors Association of America (APEA).
In addition to my writing career, I have held various roles within the field of communications ranging from public relations specialist to digital strategist.
