He doesn't believe the vast majority of Belarusians don't want to see him as president anymore
Source: WP News «unofficial translation»
— Andrzej Poczobut was sentenced to eight years in prison for being Polish, for being human. For saying: "I don't agree", — says Pavel Latushko, a Belarusian opposition politician, in an interview with Wirtualna Polska. He also points to what needs to happen for the Lukashenko regime to finally collapse.
On Wednesday, a Grodno regional court judge announced the sentencing of Polish minority activist and journalist Andrzej Poczobut to eight years in a strict regime colony. At the trial, which from the outset was considered political, authorities accused Poczobut that his actions, which consisted of cultivating Polishness and publishing historical articles, bore signs of "rehabilitating Nazism."
According to a Belarusian court, Poczobut is accused of "calling for actions against Belarus" through publications in the media and on the Internet, as well as of committing "deliberate acts aimed at inciting hatred and enmity on national, religious and social grounds." The verdict, handed down on Wednesday, has not entered into force.
Latushko: Lukashenko's regime is barbaric
We talked to Pavel Latushko, Belarusian opposition politician, about the shameful sentence upon Andrzej Poczobut. — Lukashenko wants to punish everyone who spoke out against him. He does not believe that the vast majority of Belarusians do not want to see him in the presidential seat he occupies illegally," says the former Belarusian ambassador to Warsaw and former minister of culture for Wirtualna Polska
— Lukashenko's regime is barbaric. He is the tsar who signs the decree deciding whether to kill a person or pardon him. He is the one who decides how many years of imprisonment Andrzej Poczobut will get. This is how the system works in Belarus today. It has nothing to do with the law or the fair trial, — stresses Latushko.
He notes that "Poczobut was convicted for being a Pole, for being a human being. — He was punished because he said: "I don't agree." Now he has become a symbol. Sitting in jail, he helps us and sends a strong message to Polish society and all decision-makers, — emphasizes the former Belarusian diplomat.
A definite call. "It is necessary to bring charges against Lukashenko."
In an interview with WP, Pawel Latuszko also believes that by punishing Poczobut, Lukashenko wants to change Polish and European policy. — He wants to make Poland stop supporting the Belarusians, fighting for their freedom. We pass this exam together; we can't afford not to pass it, — says the politician.
— Lukashenko should be indicted for the crimes committed against the Belarusian people and for his participation in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The entire civilized world, including Poland, can do this. Secondly, all those who torture political prisoners in Belarus should be brought to justice. "The third element — sanctions policy — Lukashenko's regime must not be allowed to trade or provide financial support, — says the former ambassador.
At the same time, he points out that, on the one hand, the world sees the heroism of Andrzej Poczobut and other activists, while on the other hand, "Brussels discusses the allocation of billions of dollars to Lukashenko for new prisons, repression and support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
— Just today, talks are underway in Brussels to allow Lukashenko to refine Russian oil and then sell the products to the EU market. Negotiations are underway today to lift sanctions on the Lukashenko regime's fertilizer supplies to the EU, Latushko told Wirtualna Polska.
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