Andrzej Poczobut, the Polish-Belarusian journalist and 2025 Sakharov Prize winner, has been released from a Belarusian penal colony as part of a prisoner exchange between Poland and Belarus. His freedom was confirmed on Thursday by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who shared a photograph of the journalist on social media with the message: “Andrzej Poczobut is free! Welcome to your Polish home, my friend.”
Poczobut was detained by Belarusian authorities in 2021 and subsequently sentenced to eight years in a penal colony following a trial widely condemned as politically motivated to silence government critics. In recent years, international observers had raised increasing concerns about his deteriorating health while in detention.
The European Parliament awarded Poczobut the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2025, jointly with Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola hailed them as “two journalists whose courage shines as a beacon for all who refuse to be silenced.” She added: “Both have paid a heavy price for speaking truth to power, becoming symbols of the struggle for freedom and democracy.”
His release is reported to be part of a prisoner swap between Poland and Belarus, though the full details of the exchange have not yet been officially confirmed or disclosed. The development marks a significant diplomatic move between the two neighboring countries, which have had strained relations in recent years.
