Filip Kaczmarek , author. – (PL) Mr President, Commissioner, I am pleased that Andrzej Poczobut was released from arrest last Saturday. However, I am in no doubt that neither his individual case, nor the broader issue of freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Belarus, is closed. The repression to which journalists in Belarus are subjected is of a political nature. Criminal law provisions are used to harass independent thought. I believe that provisions which enable such practices should be amended, which is what our resolution calls for.

We defend freedom of expression and freedom of the press, because freedom of expression is one of the fundamental human rights, part of the foundations of democracy. In Belarus, these rights are violated. Those who have the courage to describe reality such as it really is, like Andrzej Poczobut, are severely punished. He has already previously been a prisoner of conscience. We must urge the Belarusian authorities to release all prisoners of conscience. I hope that this will happen soon.