It is with great outrage that the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has learned about the sentence of eight years’ imprisonment for Andrzej Poczobut, one of the leaders of the Union of Poles in Belarus, which has been passed by a court in Grodno. Politically motivated and targeting Polish identity, this show trial and today’s sentence are a clear sign of the anti-Polish actions of the Belarusian authorities. We condemn the unjust verdict issued by a court in an authoritarian state. Andrzej Poczobut is a Polish and Belarusian patriot. We stand behind him. 

The longstanding systemic discrimination against the Polish national minority in Belarus has culminated today with a shocking sentence of many years’ imprisonment for the Polish activist who was arrested almost two years ago. We cannot tolerate the use of the Polish people living in Belarus as political hostages.

Poland strongly und unwaveringly demands that the Belarusian authorities comply with the applicable principles of international law and bilateral agreements. We call for an end to measures targeting the Polish national minority. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Andrzej Poczobut and other activists of the Union of Poles, including Andżelika Borys, as well as all other political prisoners in Belarus.

 

Łukasz Jasina
MFA Spokesperson