Gazeta Wyborcza Journalist Recounts Meeting Pochobut After Release

Bartosz Wielinski and Andrzej Pochobut. Photo: Bartosz Wielinski

The release of Belarusian journalist Andrzej Pochobut remained uncertain until the very last moment — there was no assurance that it would happen, even among those who were meeting him. Bartosz Wielinski, deputy editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, spoke about this on the air of "Morning with Belsat".

According to him, it only became definitively clear that the operation was successful at the moment Andrzej Pochobut crossed the Polish border.

"Until the very end, it was unclear if everything would work out. In fact — until Andrzej crossed the border. And there was no certainty that the person they would bring was actually him," said Bartosz Wielinski.

He also noted that he wasn't sure if Pochobut himself would agree to leave Belarus. The journalist prepared arguments to persuade him to go to a hospital and receive aid.

Wielinski was one of the first to meet Pochobut after his release. On the way, they talked about the war and life in detention. According to him, Pochobut had limited access to information but was generally aware of the main events.

"I asked if he knew about the war in Ukraine. He replied that he had heard. About the situation with Iran — also. He received information from Belarusian state media," the journalist said.

The main part of the conversation concerned the conditions of detention. Pochobut, according to Wielinski, did not succumb to pressure and did not cooperate with the prison authorities.

"He wasn't beaten — and that's probably the only positive. But there was strong psychological pressure. He spent time in isolation cells, in solitary confinement, in the cold — the window in the cell was open day and night," he said.

The first question the journalist asked after the release was about the possibility of returning to Belarus.

"The first question Andrzej asked me at the border, and then Prime Minister Tusk, was: 'Can I return?' And, of course, Poland is a free country, and everyone can decide what to do with their life. If he wants to return, no one will forbid him. But I would strongly discourage him from doing so," he noted.

The journalist also drew attention to a material released by Belarusian propaganda, in which one of the propagandists stated that Andrzej Pochobut deserves the death penalty. He noted that this seems like a contradictory signal: ostensibly, one can return, but at the same time, death is mentioned, and this, in his opinion, clearly shows that such messages cannot be trusted.

Wielinski emphasized that for Poland, Pochobut's release is an important event, as he was neither a spy nor a criminal, but found himself in detention as a journalist and activist of the Union of Poles in Belarus.

"We waited five years for this. And finally, it happened. He is with us now and is gradually recovering," he said.

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