Poczobut trial adjourned till 28 June
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
24.06.2011 15:40
The trial of Polish minority activist and journalist Andrzej Poczobut has been adjourned till 28 June, when he may be found guilty for allegedly slandering Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko.
The prosecution in Grodno, western Belarus is demanding a three year sentence for Andrzej Poczobut (pictured) a member of the Union of Poles in Belarus and correspondent of the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza.
Ales Bialacki, head of the Wlasna human rights NGO in Belarus claims that the ten articles written by Poczobut which the prosecution claims slandered President Lukashenko are well balanced and in no way abusive to the head of state.
“What Poczobut is accused of could be applied to hundreds of Belarusian and foreign journalists. This trial is a clear signal by the authorities to journalists warning of consequences of [critical] articles,” he said.
The EU, OSCE, Polish politicians as well as Belarussin opposition are demanding Poczobut be set free and Amnesty International regards him as a "prisoner of conscience". (ab/pg)