Former political prisoner and journalist Andrzej Poczobut said the congress of the Union of Poles in Belarus, which had been scheduled for Sept. 13 in Białystok, has been postponed. He said the decision does not change his plans to return to Hrodna.
“The Main Council of the Union of Poles in Belarus, which met today in Białystok, decided to postpone the organization’s congress, scheduled for Sept. 13. The reason is logistical problems. The congress must take place within six months. The postponement of the congress does not change my plans to return to Hrodna,” he wrote on Facebook.
Poczobut has repeatedly said he intends to return to Belarus in September. After being released in April 2026 as part of a prisoner exchange, he received a Belarusian passport and assurances that he could return to the country.
Belarusian journalist of Polish origin Andrzej Poczobut was detained in March 2021. In February 2023, he was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of inciting hostility and calling for sanctions. In April 2026, the journalist was released as part of a “5-for-5” exchange and transferred to Poland.
Poczobut said he planned to travel to Belarus for the congress of the Union of Poles in Belarus, which had been scheduled for Sept. 13.
