Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Łukasz Jasina informed on Tuesday (April 4) that chief of the Union of Poles in Belarus Andżelika Borys was "cleared of false allegations". The spokesman called the news "a token of change of Minsk attitude towards Poles in Belarus". Polish MFA also expressed hope that charges against Andrzej Poczobut would be dropped too and the journalist himself released.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the fact that Andżelika Borys was cleared of false allegations. We hope that she will soon be able to visit Poland," Polish MFA spokesperson Łukasz Jasina said in a statement released on Tuesday.
"The news of the president of the Union of Poles in Belarus being exonerated from false charges is the first good news coming from Minsk in a long time. We believe it to be a token of change of Minsk’s attitude towards Poles in Belarus and its readiness to hold constructive dialogue on bilateral issues," he added.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to call for the release of Andrzej Poczobut and withdrawal of all charges pressed against him. This issue remains our highest priority," we read.
Leader of the Union of Poles in Belarus Andżelika Borys had been also arrested in 2021 along with Polish Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut, but she was released in March 2022. Three other activists from regional branches of the organisation were also released, but forced to leave Belarus.
The Union of Poles in Belarus was banned by the authorites in 2005. Democratic opposition in Belarus recognised Poczobut and Borys as political prisoners.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP, gov.pl