Head of the Union of Poles in Belarus Anzhelika Borys and journalist Andrzej Poczobut (Andrei Pachobut) have joined the Council for Polish Diaspora Affairs and Poles Abroad under the President of Poland. The new advisory body was established by President Karol Nawrocki.
The ceremonial event took place at the Presidential Palace as part of the celebrations of the Day of the Flag of the Republic of Poland and the Day of the Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad. On this day, state awards were also presented to distinguished representatives of the Polish diaspora.
The council is chaired by Konstanty Radziwiłł, with Anna Maria Anders and Tadeusz Antoniak appointed as his deputies.
The council is intended to serve as a platform for cooperation and consultations with diaspora representatives and experts. Its tasks include supporting Polish education abroad, historical diplomacy, repatriation policy, and the development of legislative initiatives in the interests of Polish communities worldwide.
“Including a wide range of candidates representing different countries and possessing diverse experience in the Council’s work should help to understand the situation, expectations, and problems faced by Poles living outside their homeland and, as a result, to develop concrete solutions to support our compatriots”, the presidential office said in a press release.
Nawrocki emphasized that one-third of the Polish nation lives outside the country, and it is the state’s task to prevent a rupture of ties between them and those who remain in Poland.
“Therefore, I am very pleased that a new Council has been established which, on the one hand, shows that the Polish state will never abandon Poles abroad. (…) I am glad that such outstanding professionals, specialists, and above all those capable of diagnosing the needs of Poles outside Poland will be part of this Council”, he said.
The council held its first meeting after the ceremony.
The Day of the Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad has been observed on May 2 since 2002. This public holiday was established by the Polish Sejm at the initiative of the Polish Senate.
It should be recalled that in February 2023, 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 hostility and calling for sanctions. He was released on April 28 as part of an exchange on a five-for-five basis.
Anzhelika Borys was detained in March 2021. A criminal case was opened against her under Article 130 of the Criminal Code on inciting hatred. A year later, she was released from a pre-trial detention center and placed under house arrest at her mother’s home in Hrodna. In April 2023, media reported that Anzhelika Borys and her mother were summoned to Minsk. In the Belarusian capital, she was handed a decision to terminate the criminal case due to lack of evidence of a crime. Aliaksandr Lukashenka claimed that he had allegedly “amnestied and pardoned” Borys.
