A Belarusian journalist who spent years behind bars for the radical act of doing journalism finally got to accept his prize in person this week – and he had some thoughts.
Andrzej Poczobut, released in April after being locked up since 2021, showed up at the European Parliament on Wednesday to collect his 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The slight awkwardness? He was awarded the prize back in December while still enjoying the hospitality of a Belarusian prison cell.
Parliament President Roberta Metsola rolled out the red carpet, calling it an “honour to welcome Andrzej Poczobut to the European Parliament as a free man.” Because apparently, welcoming people who aren’t free is significantly less festive.
Poczobut had a message for the MEPs: Your voices actually matter, even through concrete walls. “I learnt about being awarded the Sakharov Prize whilst I was in prison,” he said, adding that European Parliament statements literally changed how prison guards treated him. So next time you think strongly-worded letters don’t work, think again.
The journalist didn’t pull punches about Alexander Lukashenka’s “anti-European crusade,” highlighting Belarus’s complete lack of press freedom, banned international correspondents, and the 854 political prisoners still locked up – including 21 journalists whose crime was apparently having opinions.
His co-laureate, Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli, is still imprisoned, proving that sometimes you win prizes you can’t actually attend to collect.
Poczobut wrapped up with hope that Belarus might one day be “part of Europe in more than just a geographical sense” – which is diplomatic speak for “please stop being like this.”