Belarus: journalist Andrzej Poczobut is sentenced to eight years for inciting hatred
A Belarusian court sentenced dual Belarusian-Polish journalist Andrzej Poczobut to eight years in prison on charges of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions, and he was freed three years later as part of a multi-country prisoner exchange.1234
- Country
- Belarus (RSF 2026 rank: 165th of 180)
- Where
- BY
- Level of government
- National
- Tactic
- Insult and defamation laws
- Stage
- Eliminate (see the ladder)
- Ladder note
- A journalist was imprisoned for about five years on a hatred and sanctions charge, and his release required an eight-country prisoner exchange rather than any domestic legal process.
- Head of government at the time
- Alexander Lukashenko
- Issue of the day
- Poczobut had been a longtime commentator and producer for programs on the Poland-based independent broadcaster Belsat TV and Polish public broadcaster TVP Polonia, reporting on Belarus for a Polish-speaking audience.
- Outcome
- Reversed, April 28, 2026. Poczobut was freed on April 28, 2026, as part of a prisoner exchange involving eight countries, before completing his eight-year sentence.
- Era
- The 2020s
What happened
On February 8, 2023, a Belarusian court sentenced journalist Andrzej Poczobut, who holds both Belarusian and Polish citizenship, to eight years in prison on charges of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions said to be aimed at harming Belarus's national security. Poczobut, a political commentator and producer for the program Nad Niemnem on the independent broadcaster Belsat TV and on Polish public broadcaster TVP Polonia, had been imprisoned since March 2021. CPJ's Europe and Central Asia program coordinator, Gulnoza Said, said the sentence illustrated a continuing pattern of Belarusian government action against independent journalists. Poczobut was freed on April 28, 2026, as part of a prisoner exchange involving Poland, Belarus, the United States, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, in which ten prisoners were swapped at the Polish-Belarusian border. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the release, calling it the result of a two-year diplomatic effort.1234
Poczobut was freed on April 28, 2026, after about five years in detention, as part of a multi-country prisoner exchange.34
What reason was given
Not stated in the sources reviewed as a specific factual basis beyond the charges of "inciting hatred" and "calling for sanctions aimed at harming national security."1234
What changed for reporting
A journalist covering Belarus for a Polish-speaking audience was imprisoned for about five years before his release depended on a multi-country diplomatic exchange rather than any legal appeal.1234
Timeline
2023
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Lukashenko | other | President of Belarus |
| Donald Tusk | other | Prime Minister of Poland |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| Belsat TV | outlet | affected |
| Andrzej Poczobut | journalist, Belsat TV | affected |
Sources
- Belarusian authorities sentence journalist Andrzej Poczobut to 8 years in prison, detain journalist Anastasia Sharkevich
- Belarus frees journalist Andrzej Poczobut
- Poland summons Belarusian envoy after journalist is jailed
Claims cited
- The court sentenced Poczobut to eight years in prison on charges of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions.
Belarusian authorities' sentencing of journalist Andrzej Poczobut to eight years in prison illustrates the government's never-ending cycle of repression against independent journalists.
Belarusian authorities sentence journalist Andrzej Poczobut to 8 years in prison, detain journalist Anastasia Sharkevich, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-02-08. Claim 612, checked 2026-09-22. - Poczobut was a commentator and producer for a program on the independent broadcaster Belsat TV and on Polish public broadcaster TVP Polonia.
political commentator and producer for Nad Niemnem, a TV program on Poland-based independent broadcaster Belsat TV and Polish public broadcaster TVP Polonia
Belarusian authorities sentence journalist Andrzej Poczobut to 8 years in prison, detain journalist Anastasia Sharkevich, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2023-02-08. Claim 613, checked 2026-09-22. - Poczobut was freed as part of a prisoner exchange at the Polish-Belarusian border involving eight countries.
Andrzej Poczobut is free! Welcome to your Polish home, my friend
Belarus frees journalist Andrzej Poczobut, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2026-04-28. Claim 614, checked 2026-09-22. - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described the exchange as the result of a two-year diplomatic effort.
the finale of a two-year-long intricate diplomatic game, full of dramatic twists
Belarus frees journalist Andrzej Poczobut, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2026-04-28. Claim 615, checked 2026-09-22.