The European Union has welcomed the release of Andrzej Poczobut, the 2025 Sakharov Prize laureate, while calling for the immediate and unconditional release of over 850 political prisoners still detained in Belarus. In a statement on 16 June 2026, the EU Delegation to the Council of Europe expressed relief at Poczobut's freedom, noting his imprisonment since 2021 and his eight-year sentence in a penal colony for his outspoken defence of freedom of speech and criticism of the Lukashenka regime. The statement highlighted that Poczobut, a member of the Polish minority, suffered deteriorating health in solitary confinement without adequate healthcare.
The EU's remarks followed the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize award ceremony in December 2025, where President Roberta Metsola expressed solidarity with the laureates and declared that 'speaking truth to power must never be a crime.' The statement also noted that Poczobut's release came after the release of other political prisoners in Belarus, but stressed that this progress should not overshadow the grim reality of over 850 political prisoners who remain behind bars. The EU reiterated its call for their immediate and unconditional release and effective rehabilitation.
The statement was endorsed by Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
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