Union of Poles shocked by Poczobut's arrest

The Union of Poles of Belarus (UPB) thinks a real cause of the arrest was Poczobut's views as a journalist and activist.

Andrzej Poczobut's lawyer Alyaksandr Birylau plans to see an instigator to figure out why his client had been detained. He also want to meet with the journalist.

BelaPAN has learned the news from Poczobut's wife Aksana.

We remind a Hrodna-based correspondent for Polish Gazeta Wyborcza and a deputy head of the unofficial Union of Poles of Belarus, Andrzej Poczobut, was detained at his home on the evening of June 21. His flat was searched. Poczobut was taken to a prosecutor's office and then to a detention facility. A criminal case over part 2 of article 367 of the Criminal Code (libel against the president by a person earlier convicted for libel and insulting) was opened against the journalist. He may face up to 5 years in prison.

According to Aksana Poczobut, a ground for criminal prosecution of her husband was his two articles on the websites charter97.org and Belorusski Partizan, where he wrote about death sentence to Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavalyou, who were accused of terrorism.

Last year, Poczobut was found guilty of violating part 1 of article 367 of the Criminal Code (libel against the president) for his critical articles about the country's government. The Leninski district court of Hrodna delivered the journalist a 3-year  sentence suspended for 2 years.

Aksana Poczobut says her husband thinks the trial against him will be held in the nearest time and will take less time that last year's court proceedings. Last year, prosecutors had to translate his articles from Polish looking for libel, but this time his texts were in Russian.

The head of the the unofficial Union of Poles, Anżelika Orechwo, said commenting on the situation the union was shocked by the incident, which “nobody expected”. Orechwo thinks the real cause to detain Poczobut was his active stand as a journalist and member of the Union of Poles. “He actively protected a Polish school in Hrodna recently. It might become a reason for the detention,” the union leader supposes.

She says after reasons for Poczobut's arrest will announced, the UPB will work out a defence strategy and appeal to the Polish authorities, who support the unregistered Union of Poles.