Andrzej Poczobut

Andrzej Poczobut
Poczobut in 2013
Born (1973-04-16) 16 April 1973 (age 51)
Vyalikaya Byerastavitsa, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
NationalityBelarusian
Alma materYanka Kupala State University of Grodno
OccupationJournalist
Organization(s)Gazeta Wyborcza, Union of Poles in Belarus
Known for2011 and 2012 imprisonments
SpouseAksana Poczobut
Children2

Andrzej Poczobut (Belarusian: Андрэй (Анджэй) Пачобут Andrej (Andžej) Pačobut, born 16 April 1973[1] in Vyalikaya Byerastavitsa) is a Belarusian and Polish journalist and activist of the Polish minority in Belarus. He lives in Hrodna, Belarus.

A correspondent for the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, Poczobut has been arrested more than a dozen times by the government of Belarus.[2] In 2011, he was sentenced to a fine and fifteen days in prison for "participation in the unsanctioned protest rally" following the 2010 presidential election.[3] In 2011 and 2012, he was arrested and detained for allegedly libeling President Alexander Lukashenko in his reports. The charges against Poczobut received international condemnation, with groups including the European Parliament, Reporters Without Borders, and Amnesty International issuing statements in his support. He has been arrested again in 2021 and remains in prison as of 2022. He has been described as a political prisoner.[4][5]

  1. ^ "Arche - Байкі для патрыётаў". arche.by. Archived from the original on September 15, 2009.
  2. ^ Yuras Karmanau (13 March 2009). "Ethnic Poles to defy ban in Belarus". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2012 – via HighBeam Research.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference cpjorg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference EU Demands was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Kibitlewski, Jakub; Wójcik, Rafał (8 December 202). "Andrzej Poczobut, Lukashenko's Political Prisoner, Named Grand Press Journalist of the Year". gazetapl. Retrieved 2022-04-11.