Call for the release of the Polish journalist, Mr Andrzej Poczobut, from a Belarusian prison

Written declaration No. 523 | Doc. 12975 | 26 June 2012

Signatories:

Mr Andrzej HALICKI, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Francis AGIUS, Malta, EPP/CD ; Mr Mörður ÁRNASON, Iceland, SOC ; Mr Lennart AXELSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Robert BIEDROŃ, Poland, SOC ; Ms Oksana BILOZIR, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Olena BONDARENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Marek BOROWSKI, Poland, SOC ; Mr Tor BREMER, Norway, SOC ; Mr Mikael CEDERBRATT, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Joseph DEBONO GRECH, Malta, SOC ; Mr Joseph FALZON, Malta, EPP/CD ; Ms Doris FROMMELT, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD ; Mr György FRUNDA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Mr Jonas GUNNARSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Carina HÄGG, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Håkon HAUGLI, Norway, SOC ; Mr Andres HERKEL, Estonia, EPP/CD ; Ms Susanna HUOVINEN, Finland, SOC ; Mr Stanisław HUSKOWSKI, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Tadeusz IWIŃSKI, Poland, SOC ; Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Mr Tiny KOX, Netherlands, UEL ; Ms Stella KYRIAKIDES, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Ms Athina KYRIAKIDOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Jagna MARCZUŁAJTIS-WALCZAK, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Frano MATUŠIĆ, Croatia, EPP/CD ; Ms Liliane MAURY PASQUIER, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Edgar MAYER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr Arkadiusz MULARCZYK, Poland, NR ; Mr Gebhard NEGELE, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD ; Mr Fritz NEUGEBAUER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr Nicos NICOLAIDES, Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Mirosława NYKIEL, Poland, EPP/CD ; Ms Carina OHLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Maciej ORZECHOWSKI, Poland, EPP/CD ; Ms Zaruhi POSTANJYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Ms Marietta de POURBAIX-LUNDIN, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Elżbieta RADZISZEWSKA, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Luc RECORDON, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Jadwiga ROTNICKA, Poland, EPP/CD ; Ms Marlene RUPPRECHT, Germany, SOC ; Mr Kimmo SASI, Finland, EPP/CD ; Mr Leander SCHÄDLER, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD ; Mr Jouko SKINNARI, Finland, SOC ; Mr Serhiy SOBOLEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Björn von SYDOW, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Imre VEJKEY, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Ms Anne-Mari VIROLAINEN, Finland, EPP/CD ; Mr Piotr WACH, Poland, EPP/CD ; Ms Renate WOHLWEND, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD ; Mr Łukasz ZBONIKOWSKI, Poland, NR

Thesaurus

This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.

We, parliamentarians of the member States of the Council of Europe, strongly demand the immediate release of Mr. Andrzej Poczobut from prison.

Mr. Poczobut is a correspondent of Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza based in Belarus and an activist blogger respected by the Belarusian community. He was imprisoned by the Belarusian authorities because of his brave delivery of facts to mainstream media.

The people of the free Europe are aware of the great value of the freedom of press and will support the citizens of Belarus, who are fully entitled to exercise the same rights as us.