Radoslaw Sikorski: Poczobut is hostage

A reporter of a Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, Andrzej Poczobut, is a hostage of Polish-Belarusian relations.

It has been stated on June 14 by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, commenting on the trial over the Belarusian citizen, Poczobut, who is charged with insulting Alyaksandr Lukashenka (Lukashenko). The trial is to be held behind the closed doors.

The Polish minister has stressed: “Andrzej Poczobut is a citizen of Belarus of Polish origin, who, no matter what he is doing himself, is used by Lukashenka for communicating with the government of Poland.”

According to the chief of the Foreign Ministry of Poland, such behaviour is “totally unacceptable”. He underlined that Poland would not surrender to blackmailing and is going to continue defending all prisoners of conscience. The minister has also noted that Poczobut’s arrest based upon “absurd charges” is one of the examples of “bad Belarusian policy which damages the image of this country.”

Sikorski has informed that he had signed the demands of the editorial office of Gazeta Wyborcza on release of Poczobut, and also expressed gratitude to the president of the United States Barack Obama, the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek, and all “those politicians who are pushing for his release.”

On March 28 the prosecutor’s office of Hrodna accused Andrzej Poczobut of insulting and defaming Alyaksandr Lukashenka, president of Belarus, in articles he published in both Gazeta Wyborcza, on his blog and in other media.

Under the Criminal Code of Belarus, if he is found guilty, he could face up to 6 years in prison.