Andrzej Poczobut awarded the Sakharov Prize
22 October 2025
Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut has received the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize, alongside imprisoned Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli.
Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia and Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus, 2025 Sakharov Prize laureates © L.S/Belta AFP & Z.T/Netgazeti
Announcing the winners, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said:
“By awarding this year’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Andrzej Poczobut of Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli of Georgia, we pay tribute to two journalists whose courage is a beacon of hope for all who refuse to remain silent.
Both paid a high price for speaking the truth in the face of power, becoming symbols of the fight for freedom and democracy. Parliament stands with them and with all those who demand freedom.”
Poczobut was nominated for the Sakharov Prize by a group of European conservatives and reformists, including Poland’s Law and Justice Party.
On October 16, the European Parliament’s committees on Foreign Affairs and Development voted on three finalists for the 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, established in honor of the Soviet physicist and human rights defender Andrei Sakharov. The finalists included imprisoned journalists Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli from Georgia; journalists and humanitarian workers in Palestine and conflict zones, represented by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, the Red Crescent, and the UN Relief and Works Agency; and Serbian students.
The European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents announced the 2025 laureate during the plenary session on October 22. The award ceremony will take place on December 16, 2025, in Strasbourg.
Andrzej Poczobut in court, 2023. Photo: BelTA
Profile: Andrzej Poczobut
Andrzej Poczobut, journalist and one of the leaders of the unrecognized Union of Poles in Belarus, was arrested on March 25, 2021, in Hrodna as part of the so-called “Polish case” along with other activists of the Polish minority organization.
His trial began on January 16, 2023, behind closed doors and had been postponed several times prior.
On February 8, 2023, he was sentenced to eight years in prison over calls for actions aimed at harming the national security of the Republic of Belarus and incitement of racial, national, religious, or other social hostility. The Belarusian Association of Journalists strongly opposed the verdict.
Today, Andrzej Poczobut is one of 29 imprisoned media workers in Belarus.
Andrzej Poczobut. Photo: Volha Korsun
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated on September 11, following the release and deportation of 52 Belarusian political prisoners, that securing Poczobut’s release remains a priority for Warsaw in negotiations with allies and Belarusian authorities. Poczobut is “first on the list of our expectations,” Tusk said, noting this may be why Belarusian authorities have not rushed to release the journalist.
On September 23, Andżelika Borys, head of the Union of Poles in Belarus, visited Poczobut at Navapolatsk Correctional Facility, where he is serving his sentence. She reported that he had spent a week in the prison hospital recovering and now weighs 73 kg. He also receives necessary medications.
According to Borys, Poczobut underwent a skin ulcer removal procedure during his stay in the prison hospital.
Coinciding with the visit, the Polish government reopened road and rail checkpoints in the Brest region, which had been closed since September 12 due to Belarus-Russia military exercises Zapad-2025.
Meanwhile, on August 23, Poczobut was placed in a Secure Housing Unit until February 2026.
On October 15 in Washington, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Basański met with John Coale, U.S. Presidential Advisor and Special Envoy for Ukraine and Belarus. According to the Polish diplomat, Coale agreed to work toward the next release of political prisoners, including Poles and Belarusian Belsat TV staff.
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