Polish journalist and Belarusian minority activist Andrzej Poczobut has been awarded the European Parliament’s Sacharov Prize for democracy and human rights, while jailed in a Belarusian penal colony.
Award and Recipient
Polish journalist and activist Andrzej Poczobut, known for documenting the plight of the Polish minority in Belarus, was selected as the latest recipient of the European Parliament’s Sacharov Prize, a honour that recognises courageous advocacy for democracy and human rights.
Prisoner in Belarus
Since 2021, Poczobut has been detained in a Belarusian penal colony in Nowopole after the authorities charged him with “incitement to hatred and rehabilitation of Nazism” and “calling for actions detrimental to Belarus,” allegations that the journalist refuses to admit.
European Parliament’s Decision
Members of the European Parliament intervened to secure the award for Poczobut, a move intended to heighten pressure on the Belarusian regime to release the political detainee and draw international attention to his case.
Polish Political Response
Polish officials, including a government delegate to the diaspora, have called on the Belarusian authorities to free Poczobut and halted further persecution of the Polish minority, while Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki condemned the eight‑year sentence as another act of oppression against Poles in Belarus.
History of the Award
The Sacharov Prize has been awarded annually since 1988; recent laureates include Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, who is also imprisoned, and Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela, who received the prize last year.
