According to the Polish Foreign Ministry, 365 Belarusian citizens, including 159 Members of Parliament (MP)s were added to the Polish sanction list and are not welcome in the country.

This is in response to the denial of an appeal from Belarusian-Polish journalist, Andrezej Poczobut. In February, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for “taking part in actions harming national security and inciting hatred”. He actually reported for the influential Polish newspaper, Gazeta Wyborcza, often critically of the Lukashenko regime.

He was sentenced in his hometown of Grodno where there is a thriving Polish minority. His appeal against the ruling was denied on 26 May 23 and is now expected to carry out his sentence.

The announcement from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads:

”In connection with the upholding of the draconian verdict in the case of Andrzej Poczobut and the repressions by the Belarusian authorities against political opponents of the regime of Alexander Lukashenko, the Minister of the Interior and Administration decided to enter 365 Belarusian citizens into the list of foreigners whose stay on Polish territory is undesirable. ”

The full list of those sanctioned reads below:

”Among those subject to restrictions are 365 citizens of Belarus. This includes 159 parliamentarians. Other members of parliament have already been placed on the Polish sanctions list. Thus, the sanctions already apply to all members of the Belarusian parliament. Restrictions also apply to judges (76 people), prosecutors (7 people), representatives of the local administration (32 people), officers and employees of law enforcement (28 people).

The list also includes representatives of the Belarusian regime media involved in propaganda activities (23 people), athletes and sports activists (24 people), employees of Belarusian offices, institutions and state enterprises (8 people), people active in the field of culture and science (8 people). .

In addition, the list includes entrepreneurs associated with Russian capital. These are 15 citizens of the Russian Federation and 1 Belarusian. The sanctions also include 20 business entities (19 linked to Russia and 1 linked to Belarus).”