Prosecutor’s office issued warning to “Gazeta Wyborcza” reporter Andrzej Poczobut

Andrzej Poczobut, a Belarusian journalist contributing to Polish media, who is a member of the de-registered Union of Poles in Belarus, was summoned to the Prosecutor’s office of Hrodna region.

He was read out an official warning about inadmissibility of violation of Belarusian laws. Mr Poczobut was warned that he does not have a right to present himself as a chairman of the Chief Council of the “Union of Poles in Belarus”, and officially prohibited use of symbols of the UPB, Radio Racyja informs.

The cause for the warning was a letter from the General Prosecutor’s office, where representatives of the organisation addressed in connection with the piece on BT TV Channel, dedicated to the 7th congress of the Union of Poles in Belarus. It was stated in the item that delegates of the congress called Poles the superior race. The address was signed by Andrzej Poczobut in a capacity of the chairman of the Chief Council of the UPB:

- The office of the Prosecutor General refused to consider our appeal, they are not interested in the fact that the Belarusian state TV is inciting ethnic enmity, they are more concerned with out Union of Poles and the fact that we do not have legal permission. This warning won’t have any influence to activities of our organisation and my work personally, and I have informed the prosecutor, who had read out this warning, about that.

Andrei Poczobut believes that the regime is bothered by the active work of their organisation in the run-up to the congress of the pro-regime Union of Poles.