Polish activist from Belarus awarded European Parliament prize
The imprisoned journalist from the Polish minority in Belarus, Andrzej Poczobut, has been awarded the European Parliament's (EP) Sakharov Prize for individuals defending democracy and human rights.
The decision to award Poczobut and another imprisoned journalist, Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia, was announced by EP President Roberta Metsola on Thursday.
Poczobut was nominated for the prize jointly by European Conservatives and Reformists, of which the Polish opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) is a member, and by the European People's Party, which includes members of Poland's ruling coalition, the centrist Civic Platform (PO) and the agrarian Polish People's Party (PSL).
Poczobut was arrested by the Belarusian regime in the spring of 2021 and, in February 2023, sentenced to eight years in a maximum-security penal colony. Polish authorities have demanded his release and the annulment of what they describe as politically motivated charges.
The Sakharov Prize was established by the European Parliament in 1988 to distinguish individuals or organisations across the world who stand up against repression to defend democracy and human rights.
The award ceremony will take place at the parliament's official headquarters in the French city of Strasbourg on 16 December. (PAP)
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