Alyaksandr Lukashenka, speaking at the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly, mentioned political prisoner journalist Andrzej Poczobut, who was not among those released on December 13. Responding to a question from propagandist Vadzim Hihin, he said this was “our relations with the Poles.”
“I already told John [Coale]: ‘Listen, you probably will not raise this issue after that. Well, that’s it, everyone has been released except this Poczobut.’ But Poczobut is our relations with the Poles. Yes, this is an exchange. You yourselves proposed it: you hand over people to us from Poland, we gave them the names — they are guilty of nothing — and we give you these people, criminals who have been convicted by a court.
So in the end we handed over nine or eight people to him — Japanese, Lithuanians, people from various countries. Go ahead, hold rallies, welcome them. And that Nobel laureate too. And the remaining more than 100 people — they went to Ukraine, and after that, they can do whatever they want,” he said.
In February 2023, journalist Andrzej Poczobut was sentenced to eight years in a high-security penal colony. The trial was held behind closed doors. He was found guilty of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions. Poczobut is serving his sentence in a penal colony in Navapolatsk.