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Prisoner Swap Between Belarus, Poland and Other Nations Frees 10

By: Andrew Higgins · Nataliya Vasilyeva and Tomas Dapkus

28 April 2026 at 18:33

Multiple countries took part in the exchange of prisoners, including a well-known journalist released to Poland, as the Trump administration’s outreach to Belarus continued to pay dividends.

The Guardian World news

Journalist Andrzej Poczobut freed from prison in Belarus in US-brokered swap deal

By: Jakub Krupa

28 April 2026 at 14:01

Sakharov prize winner was given eight-year sentence after process widely condemned as politically motivated

The Polish-Belarusian journalist Andrzej Poczobut, the 2025 Sakharov prize winner, has been freed after five years in a Belarusian penal colony as part of a US-brokered multi-country swap deal.

His release has been confirmed by Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, who posted a picture of him on social media, saying: “Andrzej Poczobut is free! Welcome to your Polish home, my friend.”