Journalist Andrzej Poczobut freed from prison in Belarus in US-brokered swap deal
Summary
Andrzej Poczobut, a Polish-Belarusian journalist, was freed from a Belarusian prison after five years as part of a prisoner swap deal brokered by the United States. The release is part of ongoing diplomatic efforts involving several countries to improve relations with Belarus and secure the freedom of political prisoners.Key Facts
- Andrzej Poczobut is a journalist and Polish community activist who was detained in Belarus in 2021 and sentenced to eight years in a prison colony.
- He won the 2025 Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought.
- His release was confirmed by Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk through social media.
- The US helped broker a multi-country prisoner swap involving Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine.
- The deal included the release of 123 prisoners earlier, such as Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski and opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava.
- US special envoy John Coale led the negotiations with Belarus’s leader Aleksandr Lukashenko, aiming to reduce political imprisonments.
- The US continues efforts to free the remaining 800 to 900 political prisoners in Belarus.
- Poland’s leaders thanked US President Donald Trump for his role in securing Poczobut’s release.
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