Анджей Почобут. Фото: Reform.news
The Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita has named possible conditions that Minsk is putting to Warsaw for the release of political prisoner Andrzej Poczobut.
Several of the newspaper’s unrelated sources confirmed that Poczobut’s surname was on the lists of political prisoners whose release the Americans had requested.
“And each time the Belarusian side crossed out his surname. In Minsk they say this is ‘a different matter’ that should be resolved within the framework of negotiations between Belarus and Poland,” the article quotes one source involved in the process of securing the release of Belarusian political prisoners as saying.
According to the newspaper, the Polish side has been making efforts to secure Poczobut’s release ever since his detention in Belarus. In particular, Rzeczpospolita says the issue was raised during the visit of Poland’s former president Andrzej Duda to China. The newspaper also links the opening by the Polish government of two border crossing points on the frontier with Belarus to efforts to secure Poczobut’s release. Another signal to Minsk was the “quiet” relocation of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya to Warsaw so as not to “irritate the dictator.”
A “well-informed source” told the newspaper that one of Minsk’s conditions is the resumption of political dialogue.
“They are expecting a visit by a Polish politician to Minsk at a rank no lower than deputy minister and are counting on the resumption of political contacts. Poczobut today is the dictator’s hostage. But even such a visit would not guarantee success. The situation is very difficult because the war continues, and Belarus is taking part in it on Russia’s side,” the newspaper quotes the source as saying.
Rzeczpospolita writes that this was also confirmed by a source “linked to the Lukashenka regime”: Minsk is counting on such a visit, and Poczobut’s release will depend on political dialogue. It should be noted that propagandist Yury Vaskrasienski has repeatedly said publicly that Poczobut could be released if Poland’s foreign minister Radosław Sikorski came personally to collect him.
Another “well-briefed” source told the newspaper that he sees “light at the end of the tunnel.”
“We hope it is not an approaching train, but the way out of this tunnel as well,” his words are quoted as saying.