Article #12797

Sakharov prize winner was sentenced to eight years in a penal colony in Belarus in 2021

Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut, the 2025 Sakharov prize winner, has been freed from Belarusian prison.

His release has been confirmed by Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk, who posted a picture of him on social media saying: “Andrzej Poczobut is free! Welcome to your Polish home, my friend.”

“Both have paid a heavy price for speaking truth to power, becoming symbols of the struggle for freedom and democracy.”