andrzej poczobut was freed on Tuesday after years in a Belarusian prison, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirming the release and posting a photo with the opposition figure. The case ended in a prisoner exchange, and Polish the move followed long, difficult diplomatic efforts involving Poland, the United States, and other partners. The release of andrzej poczobut immediately drew emotional reactions from his family, top Polish officials, and American representatives.
Release confirmed in Warsaw, with exchange details emerging
Tusk said the first words from andrzej poczobut were: “Będę mógł tam wrócić?” Radosław Sikorski, the foreign minister, said the exchange brought home a Polish man who had been held in harsh conditions and described the day as one that would not have been possible without Donald Trump.
Polish the swap took place in a five-for-five format. Marcin Przydacz said the process began on September 3 and involved work at the highest level between Polish and American leaders. He added that the name of andrzej poczobut had come up in conversations between the presidents of Poland and the United States.
Sikorski said one person handed over on the other side was Russian historian Aleksandr Butiagin. Russian state agency TASS said Butiagin and the wife of a Russian serviceman were exchanged for two officers of Moldovan special services. TASS also showed footage of the release of two Moldovan citizens.
Immediate reactions from family and senior officials
Stanisław Poczobut, the father of the freed journalist, said he learned the news only moments before speaking and called it overwhelming. “We are shaken, ” he said, adding that his wife was crying beside him and that he wanted to thank everyone who remembered his son. He said that when he sees andrzej poczobut, he will kneel and kiss his hand.
President Karol Nawrocki said the release was a victory for a political prisoner and thanked Donald Trump for helping bring it about. Former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki also wrote that the news was wonderful and greeted Poczobut with a public “welcome home. ”
Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska said the Senate had recently adopted a resolution appealing for his quick release and noted that nearly 1, 000 political prisoners remain in Belarus. Roman Imielski, deputy editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, said andrzej poczobut felt well and was happy to be free.
Why the case mattered so much
Poczobut had been treated by Alaksandr Łukaszenka’s authorities as one of the most important hostages in dealings with the West, Polish. He was arrested in March 2021 and later sentenced on February 8, 2023, to eight years in a high-security penal colony for actions described by the Belarusian side as harmful to state interests.
the exchange involved several countries and a long negotiation process. John Coale, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Belarus, said his team helped secure the release of three Poles and two Moldovans, calling the outcome a historic result.
What happens next for Andrzej Poczobut
Polish andrzej poczobut is now in Poland and recovering after years in custody. Sikorski said Poland will continue pushing for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus, while Tusk said the operation marked the end of a two-year diplomatic effort. For now, the focus remains on his health, his return to family, and the next steps after andrzej poczobut regained his freedom.
