Day of Solidarity with Andrzej Poczobut, Prisoner of Conscience
The following letter has been signed by the editors of leading Polish media outlets in support of their colleague, Andrzej Poczobut, correspondent for the Polish newspaper Wyborcza and activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus. He has been held in custody since 6 April, after being detained while heading to Minsk to take part in a television link-up with Members of the European Parliament. He has recently been charged with slandering President Lukashenko and could face a four year prison sentence.
We, the undersigned editors of leading Polish media outlets, protest against the unlawful imprisonment by the Belarusian regime of our colleague, journalist Andrzej Poczobut. We demand his immediate release and the withdrawal of all charges against him.
Andrzej Poczobut, Gazeta Wyborcza correspondent, has for nearly two months now been in custody in Hrodno. The Prosecutor accuses him of slandering and insulting President Alexander Lukaszenko and faces four years imprisonment. Yet Andrzej Poczobut is “guilty” only of carrying out his duty to his readers by informing them about the situation in Belarus. This is how Lukaszenko’s regime, which claims to be a democratic country, fights the free press and independent journalists.
Andrzej Poczobut did not want to leave the country where he was born and raised, where his children were born and are growing up. He believes that Belarus deserves a better fate and as a journalist he can make his contribution to this. “I hope that my work will bring the moment closer when Belarus will cease to be a fossilized relic in Europe ruled by the last dictator in that part of the civilized world, and will become a free European country”, he wrote before his arrest.
Andrzej Poczobut is paying with his own freedom the price of freedom of speech in Belarus. This freedom is particularly important for us. We, the undersigned editors of leading Polish media outlets, express our total solidarity with Andrjej.
If you haven’t already done so, please sign the appeal for Andrzej Poczubut’s release at
http://wyborcza.pl/poczobut/0, 0.html
Signatories of the letter include the main newspapers, information agencies, television and radio stations in Poland.
Jerzy Baczyński, "Polityka"
Ewa Bartnikowska, "Gazeta Olsztyńska"
Bogusław Chrabota, Telewizja Polsat
Jerzy Domański, "Przegląd"
Marek Dziewięcki, Onet.pl
Paweł Fąfara, "Polskapresse"
Krzysztof Fijałek, Interia.pl
ks. Marek Gancarczyk, "Gość Niedzielny"
Jarosław Gugała, Polsat News
Ryszard Hińcza, Program I Polskiego Radia
Sławomir Jastrzębowski, "Super Express"
Magdalena Jethon, Program III Polskiego Radia
Dariusz Kotlarz, "Polska Kurier Lubelski"
Edward Krzemień, Wyborcza.pl
Tomasz Lachowicz, "Polska Gazeta Krakowska"
Tomasz Lis, "Wprost"
Paweł Lisicki, "Rzeczpospolita"
Małgorzata Małaszko, Program II Polskiego Radia
Emil Marat, Radio PiN
Wojciech Maziarski, "Newsweek Polska"
Adam Michnik, "Gazeta Wyborcza"
Edward Miszczak, TVN
Jerzy Modlinger, "Teleexpress" TVP
Piotr Mucharski, "Tygodnik Powszechny"
Krzysztof Nałęcz, "Głos Dziennik Pomorza"
Rafał Olejniczak, Radio ZET
Jerzy Paciorkowski, Polska Agencja Prasowa
Waldemar Paś, "Metro"
Adam Pawłowski, "Polska Głos Wielkopolski"
Bogusław Potoniec, Grupa Radiowa TIME (Radio ESKA, ESKA ROCK, WAWA i VOX FM)
Marcin Przeciszewski, Katolicka Agencja Informacyjna
Piotr Pyrkosz, "Super Nowości"
Artur Rumianek, "Przekrój"
Robert Sakowski, "Polska Dziennik Łódzki"
Paweł Siennicki, Dziennik "Polska the Times"
Jacek Skorus, "Panorama" TVP
Andrzej Skworz, "Press"
Tadeusz Sołtys, RMF FM
Stanisław Sowa, "Nowiny"
Marek Twaróg, "Polska Dziennik Zachodni"
Ewa Wanat, TOK FM
Paweł Wujec, Gazeta.pl
Małgorzata Wyszyńska, "Wiadomości" TVP
Krzysztof Zyzik, "Nowa Trybuna Opolska"