"We demand release of political prisoners tormented behind bars of Alexander Lukashenko's regime, and release of all Belarusian journalists from prisons and detention" - reads a petition written by Polish journalists who protested on Friday in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Warsaw.
On Friday, in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Warsaw, Polish journalists organised a protest demanding release of journalists arrested by the Belarusian regime. They tried to hand in a petition to Belarusian diplomats, but they were not allowed onto the premises.
In a petition, they called for an "immediate release of journalist Andrzej Poczobut" and "and release of all Belarusian journalists from prisons and detention".
"We won't turn away from what's happening behind our eastern border. We demand release of political prisoners tormented behind bars of Alexander Lukashenko's regime. Today, completely isolated and with closed borders, we feel helpless. We don't know any other way to speak up for the persecuted in Belarus" - they wrote.
The journalists also called for a "firm reaction from Europe and the world to actions of Belarusian authorities targeting journalists" The petition was signed by 328 people.
Among the speakers during the event was the chief editor of "Gazeta Wyborcza", Adam Michnik. He said that actions of Belarusian regime were "pure-blooded gangsterism, banditry". "It's not politics, it's meanness. Here in Poland we know meanness all too well, what it means to be a repressed journalist. We also know well that what Lukashenko is doing could serve as an example for candidates for dictators, also here in our country" - he said.
"We send our Belarusian friends salutes, words of solidarity, words of brotherhood. I give you my word as a journalist who has seen a lot, that it's always darkest before the dawn. You will see the bright sun of freedom. You will be the pride of your nation and all decent people across Europe".
Jan Ordyński also took the floor. "We have plenty of admiration for the heroism of our Belarusian colleagues. In these difficult moments we stand and will stand next to you, we will report the situation in Belarus to international journalist organisations, we will call for help" - he said.
The vice-president of Towarzystwo Dziennikarskie also declared his organisation was ready to provide any "material and spiritual support". "If you feel the need, please visit us at Towarzystwo Dziennikarskie" - he told his Belarusian colleagues.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, tvn24.pl
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN24