Protect Andrei Poczobut (a journalist) against prosecution by the Belarusian dictatorship

PolishForums.com was asked to post this important announcement in the name of The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ). Here it is:

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Dear friends,

My name is Uladzimir Hutkouski (Vladimir Gutkovskiy).
As a member of Belarusian Association of Journalists and American PEN I plea you to protect our colleague Andrei Poczobut against prosecution by the Belarusian dictatorship.

Vladimir Gutkovskiy, bigopenworldmagazine@yahoo

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The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) calls on сivil and public association o the USA, international organizations, writers and human rights organizations to expre3ss solidarity with the Belarusian journalist Andrei Poczobut who is being charged with libel against the president Alexaqnder Lukashenka.

According to independent express assessment, Poczobut's aricles under consideration do not contain libel, but only criticize the policy of the Belarusian authorities.

On October 21, 2012 the criminal case against the Hrodna-based journalist Andrei Poczobut migtht be sent to court.

The correspondent of the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, BAJ member Andrei Poczobut is being charged with violation under article 367, part 2 of the Criminal Code of Belarus "Libel against the President of the Republic of Belarus". The case was started by the Investigative Committee of Hrodna region in June 2012, based on a number of the journalist's publications online.

On June 21 the journalist's apartment was searched and his professional equipment was confiscated. The journalist spend a week in Hrodna detention center, up till June 30, and then was set free under recognizance not to leave the country.

The Belarusian Criminal Code provides for freedom restriction/imprisonment up to five years for such violation.

This term might be added up to the previous conviction that Andrei Poczobut got on July 5, 2011: the journalist was sentenced to three years in prison, with two years' deferment under article 367, part 1 (libel against the president). The law stipulates that the journalist will surely serve the sentence if he breaks the law within the two years.

The public association "Belarusian Association of Journalists" empowers its member, who is also member of the American PEN-center, Uladzimir Hutkouski to report this information to interested people and organizations in the USA, international structures.

We ask you to express your attitude to the criminal prosecution of the journalist and demand from official Minsk to dismiss the criminal charges against the journalist Andrei Poczobut.

We will be extremely grateful for your solidarity with our colleague and with all people of Belarus whose freedom of expression is being more and more restricted by the authorities.

Best regards,

chair of BAJ Zhanna Litvina

I'd suggest a good proofread of that before publishing it.....I can send it to a few journalist friends back home, but in that state of English they wouldn't take it seriously.

You think?

As an English speaker I fully understood the message which is far more important that than the spelling or syntax.

If that was sent to a newspaper they'd reject it. Doesn't matter if it's understandable, journalists are too busy to fix every single PR that they receive every single day.

Fix it and I'll send it to a few people.

History repeats itself. Andrzej Poczobut has been imprisoned for 6 months now, together with another leader of the Union of Poles in Belarus, Angelika Borys. They are accused of horrenduous acts against the regime. Let`s not forget about them as well as about hundreds of other political prisoners in Belarus.

Demo in Warsaw

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Are you demented? Not long ago you and your ilk have been spewing propaganda of the said Belorusian regime against Poland.
Now you want to protest against them?
Make up your mind.

All traitors have to maintain appearances.

Can I use the trendiest slogan in the forum recently?: Prove it, you fascist liar!! :):)


Neobolshevik pro-Kremlin liars are also expected to prove their lies.

We are waiting.

No, you prove that I'm a fascist and a liar. I can sue for defamation.

I can easily prove it, there are hundreds of your posts with fascist stink. E.g., the latest proof of your fascist lying is in post 6.


buhahahahaha Really??? Where??? In Russia??? hahahahaha You count on your Kremlin buddies to support you, I see.

Sorry, darling, I am located in Poland, you will need to use a Polish court. And what will you tell them? That certain pawian offended certain ironside on an American forum??? hahahahahaha

You are really pathetic, my fascist darling. One can`t defame or offend an anonymous internet identity. You are nobody here, just a fascist troll. A nasty phantasm.

So, do you want to communicate to us that you are getting exacerbated??? That`s good. Very good. Excellent!!! Now you see how nice it is to be served the same dish you offer others.

Going down to business: do you have any propositions how to deal with this situation??? hahahaha

If you go by the smell, you should look for truffles at least there is money in it. Be a good piggy use your powers.


You seem to be rattled more than usual. Have you run out of meds? Are you worrying I can sue you? Are you a certified lunatic?

Those are questions one would like to ask after reading your last post.

Excellent. The one who asks questions doesn`t get lost. :):)


Yes, I am out of cough syrup. Why???

So you admit you are addicted to codeine, which is in cough syrup. no wonder you are jumping off the walls and getting nervous around ironside :)

Nervous? Do Australians use nervous so erroneously??? I thought one can be nervous before an exam or a public speech. :):)
Actually, it is Iron who is getting "nervouss." He threatened me with litigation for calling him a fascist. Isn`t it a clear symptom of flying off the handle???

It's a fair description in his case. If he wanted to sue and win, half his PF posts would need deleting in case they were used as evidence against him.


When I used to teach English here, I heard that one all the time. L1 transference from nerwowy.

Are there any updates about Poczobut? Things seem to be getting worse in Lukashenkaland. Have you seen the Straż Graniczna SMSs about not accepting pills given by the Belarussian authorities?

Yes, that`s what I told him, too. That revolting fascism is oozing like nasty pus from his input here. :):)


I also hear or read it too often from my students. That is why I thought it was funny amiga made the same mistake although he had spent so many years in a native country (according to his claims).


Yes, this is madness. But when Belarussians rise again, there will be no mercy and the dictator with his men will end up like Ceausescu.

I would say it is your boring repetitive nonsense. As to your delusions - your posts are there - anyone can see you are rattled.

Excuse me? Nervous or agitated is a appropriate term to describe withdrawal symptoms from codeine. Did you have a big swig from the cough syrup bottle yet and and have calmed down now? ;)

Back on topic, what is your precious European Union doing about Belarus? sweet FA. Best to rely on ourselves and our wise and strong PiS administration.

@amiga500
I agree that the EU has a very passive approach to the whole crisis, but calling PiS leadership wise&strong is... The kind of thing I would expect a blind loyalist to utter, which has no basis in reality and serves only as a form of underlying ones allegiance.

PiS major contributions to the situation in Poland has been

1. combating the feeling of rural areas being left out and forgotten by the state.
2. Having a firm stance towards the EU and communicate strongly when something can't be agreed upon (so when something is agreed upon, larger chance that it will last)

3. Having a pro-democratic stance towards eastern neighbours instead of quietly tolerating the situation (basically not giving up on them long-term)

Calling it wise or strong would be wrong, but it's positive achievements.

Strong would be if there would be a general mobilization of all/most who served in the armed forces and Warn that any further provocations will lead to an invasion of the state of Belarus as the Belarussian side doesn't respect the Polish-Belarussian border. (Risky however and could potentially lead to an escalation which both sides would rather not trigger)

And wise would be to host diplomatical talks with all leaders in eastern europe, especially inviting as many pro Russian states as possible in a location in Poland or neutral country to solve the crisis.

So far PiS have been more interested in hosing small fires and not take on the burning forest. It's a gigantic challenge which PiS might be very aware that they can't pull with chances of sucess

If anything they've played on that and probably worsened the situation. For them, misery equals votes.


And they've messed that one up big time, haven't they. The subsidies they've lost hurt the people in the previous quote.


Hard to imagine any of the major parties doing otherwise.

We would be fighting the russian army in that case. Better just to send a missile and take out Lukashenko and his cabinet. But blame it on ukranian or belarusian terrorists etc.

Any party lead by Tusk would only be a hardliner towards internal opposition and soft versus conflicts on an international stage. One only has to look how softly Tusk tried to solve the Smolensk catastrophy

Nothing to 'solve' and his dignified approach to the aftermath of the accident contrasts hugely with the hysteria from PiSuarzy, Macierewicz chief among them.

Indeed if you are a commie and follow party line there is nothing for you but stand to attention.

Gov should come up with at least a few scenarios to solve it and to get back at Lukashenko and Russia.


Nah PiS talk big, make a song and dance, perform ritual saber-rattling towards EU to confuse their voters but at the end, they bend backwoods and take it all the way - the EU demands.

However, in the case of the biological weapons employed by Putin and Lukashenko on Poland's eastern border, the EU supports a wholeheartedly tough Polish stance. I hope that stance won't be passive and reactive, they need to be more proactive and flexible in response to Russia's asymmetric war waged on Poland.

How about what he actually wrote or said that got them so mad? I don't want any renditions or interpretations.

Also, about the thread title: Protect Andrei Poczobut (a journalist) against prosecution by the Belarusian dictatorship

What are the differences between "the Belarusian dictatorship" and Polish democracy? What makes them a dictatorship?

For reference, is Russia a dictatorship?

'Solve' what?


He should only write what somebody wants him to write?

???
I am asking for the evidence as presented by the prosecution. They usually cite it verbatim in the indictment.
So let me rephrase it...

Did anybody here read the indictment?

Also:

Go to Belarus and shout in public: Down with Lukashenka! Then you will know what makes them a dictatorship. :):)


Yes, but hidden under the facade of quasi democracy. But it is off topic here.


No, I haven`t. I am going to continue bashing fascists and neobolsheviks, so stay on your guard. :):)

So contact the court. PF isn't a court.


youtu.be/VwcKwGS7OSQ