Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut, who was released in April, said he plans to return to Hrodna in early September. He said this in an interview with Jerzy Jurecki of Polish publication Tygodnik Podhalański.
According to the former political prisoner, he currently has a busy schedule, and having a “deadline” helps him work more intensively.
“I have a deadline in my head. And when you have a deadline, you work more intensively. That’s the journalistic approach,” he said.
He confirmed his intention to return to Hrodna despite concerns from people around him.
“I am from Hrodna, by the Neman, and that is my homeland, the Hrodna region. When I went to Vilnius, and when I was in the Vilnius region, I heard our Polish language, the local Kresy dialect… The whole atmosphere there is ours, because it is essentially one region. It was very close to home, the nostalgia was very strong. When we reached Druskininkai, the Neman… So without a doubt, I want to go home and I will go home, it will be in early September. I still have a couple of things to take care of, and then I will go,” he said.
Poczobut agreed that not everyone considers his decision to be the right one. According to him, an opinion poll was conducted in which about 80% of respondents said that he should not return to Belarus.
The interviewer noted that the main argument of those who hold this position is that he would be able to do more outside Belarus.
“Here, you become separated from part of the community, which is in completely different circumstances. And you have no right to speak on their behalf,” he replied.
In 2023, Belarusian journalist of Polish origin Andrzej Poczobut was sentenced to eight years in a prison colony. He was found guilty of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions. In April 2026, he was released as part of a five-for-five exchange and transferred to Poland. At the same time, the journalist secured the issuance of a Belarusian passport and was promised that he could return to Belarus. Poczobut said he planned to come to Belarus for the congress of the Union of Poles in Belarus, scheduled for Sept. 13.