Ahead of his address to the European Parliament today, the ECR Group welcomed Andrzej Poczobut, recipient of the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, to its Group meeting in Strasbourg on Tuesday evening.

Poczobut, a Polish-Belarusian journalist and former political prisoner of the Lukashenka regime, was released in April after spending five years in a Belarusian penal colony. The ECR Group nominated him for the 2025 Sakharov Prize, awarded jointly to Poczobut and Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli in recognition of their commitment to freedom of expression and democratic values.

Opening the exchange, ECR Co-Chairman Patryk Jaki said:

“For many years, Mr Poczobut has been a strong voice in defence of freedom of expression, democratic values and civil society in Belarus.”

“Mr Poczobut’s commitment to these principles came at a considerable personal cost. His case has attracted widespread international attention and has become emblematic of the challenges faced by independent journalists, political activists and democratic opposition figures under the Belarusian regime.”

Speaking to ECR Members, Poczobut recalled his years in prison and thanked the European Parliament and the ECR Group for their support.

“During my five years in prison, I received letters from Members of the European Parliament and I heard about the resolutions adopted in my support. These gestures mattered. They showed me that I had not been forgotten.”

“When I heard in prison that I had been awarded the Sakharov Prize, it changed even the behaviour of the guards towards me. It was a great gesture of solidarity and a sign that Europe was watching.”

“But there are still political prisoners in Belarus today. They must not be forgotten. The Polish minority in Belarus is being particularly persecuted, and I am grateful to the ECR Group for standing with those who fight for freedom.”

Jaki thanked Poczobut for his testimony, saying: “Thank you, Andrzej, for all you did.”

He also paid tribute to Małgorzata Gosiewska MEP, Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Belarus and the main initiator of Poczobut’s nomination for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.

Gosiewska said:

“Andrzej Poczobut’s presence today is testimony to a courage the regime failed to break. It is also an obligation to speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves.”

“Andrzej Poczobut is a symbol of the fight for freedom of speech, human dignity and the right to truth in a country where people pay for these values with imprisonment and attempts to erase them from public life. For me personally, he is a modern-day Indomitable Soldier.”

“Behind every number there is a person: a name, a family, a story, courage and pain. Authoritarian regimes treat political prisoners as hostages and as tools of pressure and blackmail. Every release is a victory for humanity, but it does not change the fact that the system of repression is still in place.”