Story perspectives

Trump-Brokered Swap Frees Journalist, Leaves 830+ Prisoners Behind

4/28/2026

Summary

Story summary

A swap coordinated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy freed ten detainees, including journalist Andrzej Poczobut.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poczobut was released at the Poland-Belarus border and is free.
Poczobut, a Gazeta Wyborcza correspondent who lost over 19 kg in prison, had won the European Union (EU) 2025 Sakharov Prize.
Human-rights monitors report more than 830 political prisoners remain in Belarusian jails after the exchange.

History

Historical Context

The European Parliament’s 2020 Sakharov Prize honored Belarusian civil society, drawing attention to President Alexander Lukashenko’s crackdown that had already seen activist Ales Bialiatski imprisoned from 2011 to 2014. Bialiatski, later a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, symbolizes the broader repression that still leaves hundreds of political prisoners behind. The prize carries a €50,000 award.

1 of 2

Story summary

A swap coordinated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy freed ten detainees, including journalist Andrzej Poczobut.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poczobut was released at the Poland-Belarus border and is free.
Poczobut, a Gazeta Wyborcza correspondent who lost over 19 kg in prison, had won the European Union (EU) 2025 Sakharov Prize.
Human-rights monitors report more than 830 political prisoners remain in Belarusian jails after the exchange.

1 / 2