TALLINN, Estonia (AP) 鈥 A former correspondent for a top Polish newspaper has been denied life-saving heart medication in Belarusian prison, a representative of Belarus鈥 largest Polish community organization told reporters Tuesday.
Andrzej Poczobut, 50, a former reporter with the Gazeta Wyborcza daily, has been put in solitary confinement with no access to lawyers or medical care, Marek Zaniewski from the Union of Poles in Belarus said at a press briefing.
The country鈥檚 largest and most prominent rights group, Viasna, also reported on its website that Poczobut has been transferred to a one-man 鈥減unishment cell" at a prison in Navapolatsk, a city in northern Belarus, where he is serving an eight-year sentence.
Poczobut, a prominent member of Belarus鈥 sizable Polish minority, was found guilty in February of 鈥渟owing discord鈥 and harming the country鈥檚 national security.
His closed trial in the Belarusian city of Grodno was widely seen as part of Minsk鈥檚 sweeping crackdown on opposition figures and civil society. Belarus鈥 Supreme Court dismissed Poczobut鈥檚 appeal in May, and he has remained behind bars ever since his detention in March 2021.
Zaniewski, the Polish community leader, described Poczobut鈥檚 situation as 鈥渧ery difficult鈥 and said the conditions in which he is held continue to deteriorate.
鈥淎ndrzej is being kept in complete isolation, but we have learned that he is not receiving heart medication, which he needs to take every day. This worries us very much,鈥 Zaniewski said.
Poczobut鈥檚 wife Oksana told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the conditions of his imprisonment were 鈥渁kin to torture.鈥 She said that following his transfer to Navapolatsk prison, he was placed in a 鈥減unishment cell鈥 for refusing to do hard labor. His visiting rights were also revoked.
鈥淎ndrzej has been diagnosed with a heart rhythm disorder and high blood pressure. Events have been developing according to the worst-case scenario,鈥 Oksana Poczobut said.
Poczobut had extensively covered that engulfed Belarus in 2020 in the wake of the disputed presidential election that handed authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko his sixth term in office. Both the Belarusian opposition and the West have denounced the vote as rigged.
Poczobut鈥檚 indictment pointed to his coverage of the protests, his statements in support of ethnic Poles in Belarus and a reference to the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland as an act of 鈥渁ggression鈥 as evidence of his guilt.
The journalist chose to remain in Belarus despite Minsk鈥檚 ongoing crackdown that saw more than 35,000 people arrested, thousands beaten by police, and tens of thousands fleeing abroad.
According to Viasna, the rights group, Poczobut refused to sign a petition to be pardoned by Lukashenko following his detention. The journalist鈥檚 relatives claimed he was subsequently forbidden family visits and was unable to receive letters from his 12-year-old son.
Polish authorities have repeatedly called on Minsk to release Poczobut, while Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya described the verdict against him as Lukashenko鈥檚 鈥減ersonal revenge.鈥
Viasna has also included Poczobut in its list of 1,496 political prisoners held by Belarus.
