The Polish authorities announced Thursday sanctions against several members of the close circle of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, whom it accuses of being responsible for the arrest and conviction of journalist Andrzej Poczobut for criticizing the president’s actions.
Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said on his Twitter account that in connection with a resolution passed by the Polish Parliament, measures will be introduced to «include in the list of sanctions other persons associated with the Lukashenko regime responsible for the repression against Poles in Belarus.»
The journalist, who had been in custody since March 2021 when he was arrested in Grodno, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for inciting racial, religious or social hatred and discord.
Shortly thereafter, the Polish Parliament adopted a resolution rejecting and condemning the verdict as evidence of politically motivated and «anti-Polish» activities by Belarusian territory.
Poczobut had already been sentenced to three years in prison in July 2011 for insulting Lukashenko, but the sentence was later suspended. The journalist was considered by many to be one of the few critical voices in the media against the Belarusian government.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
