Poczobut, a member of the Polish minority in Belarus, has been detained since 2021 and sentenced to eight years in a penal colony on politically motivated charges for criticising the Lukashenka regime.
Spokesperson Maciej Wewiór of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised the award, saying: “We are pleased that Andrzej Poczobut received the Sakharov Prize for his fight for human rights and freedom. Even one day in prison is one day too many.”
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Tsikhanouskaya called for the release of all political prisoners and stressed the importance of sustained international pressure.
“We must keep pushing until every political prisoner is free - and Belarus is free,” she said, citing a report on the country’s systematic crackdown on independent voices.
Tsikhanouskaya and her husband, fellow opposition leader Sergey Tikhanovski, urged European nations to play a central role in supporting Belarus’s democratic transition.
“Europe should become the main partner in helping Belarus move toward democracy,” Tikhanovski added.
The Sakharov Prize, the EU’s highest human rights award, will be formally presented on 16 December. Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli was also named a laureate for her work defending freedom of expression.
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