Man Of Iron

Belarus and Poland are proud of Andrzej Poczobut.

Man of Iron. There was a film by Andrzej Wajda about the strike movement in Poland in 1981. Today, in 2023, that person for me is Andrzej Poczobut, a fellow journalist and one of the leaders of the Union of Poles in Belarus.

Andrzej Poczobut seems to be really made of iron: he does not give up under the onslaught of torture, monstrous pressure, and persuasion to leave the country if he is released as a prisoner as a result of the diplomatic efforts of the Polish government. Unfortunately, trading political prisoners is a long and constant practice of Lukashenka's dictatorship, especially when it comes to citizens of foreign states or national minorities.

Andrzej does not intend to leave Belarus. He is a citizen of our country, and decided to stay in his homeland, even in prison. For this he is being tried today — for the love of his roots, for the desire to live in a free Belarus, where the rights of all people are respected, regardless of nationality.

I have known Andrzej for 20 years. For me, he has always been, is and will be an example of courage and strength, integrity and resilience, honesty and decency that a person is capable of.

Natallia Radzina, Editor-in-Chief of Charter97.org, Facebook