Andrzej Poczobut has been named an honorary citizen of the city of Opole, Poland. The ceremony took place at the city hall on September 4, the city council reports.
He was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Opole for his many years of work defending freedom of speech and human rights and preserving Polish identity.
The initiative to make Poczobut an honorary citizen was put forward by Opole Voivodeship Sejm deputy and Polish intelligence services coordinator Tomasz Siemoniak and the city’s mayor, Arkadiusz Wiśniewski.
“Opole is an important place for me. For many years now, children from Belarus have been coming here, and cooperation and contacts with Poles living in Belarus continue,” Poczobut said.
He confirmed that he plans to return to Belarus but is aware of the risks involved.
“No one can give any guarantees. It is a difficult issue,” 24opole.pl quoted Poczobut as saying.
Belarusian journalist of Polish origin Andrzej Poczobut was sentenced in Belarus to eight years in prison in 2023. In April this year, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange. The journalist managed to obtain a Belarusian passport and was promised that he could return to Belarus. Poczobut has repeatedly said that he intends to return to the country in September for the congress of the Union of Poles in Belarus.
