Warsaw demanded that Minsk start a dialogue with the fugitive Belarusian opposition

Minsk should immediately release the Polish-born journalist Andrzej Poczobut and start a dialogue with the opposition. The corresponding resolution was adopted by the Senate of Poland.

The Senate resolution was timed to coincide with the 5th anniversary of Andrzej Poczobut's imprisonment. In the document, the senators again demanded his immediate release.

In addition, the resolution emphasizes that the Polish parliament appeals to the Belarusian authorities to stop the repression, release all political prisoners and start a political dialogue with the opposition both inside the country and in exile. The senators also expressed "full solidarity with Belarusian activists who stand for democracy and freedom."

The upper house of the Polish parliament also recalled the 30th anniversary of the human rights center "Viasna" (recognized in Belarus as an extremist formation), expressing the conviction that "the efforts and sacrifice of Belarusian human rights defenders will become the foundation of a future free Belarus."

Andrzej Poczobut was detained in Belarus on March 25, 2021. In 2023, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for calling for action against national security and inciting hostility. At the same time, for all the amnesties and exchanges that took place in Belarus with Poland, Poczobut was never released.