In conversation with Andrzej Poczobut
In-person
|
September 28, 2026 | 2:00PM - 3:30PM
Location | Seminar Room 108N, North House, Munk School, 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto, ON
Andrzej Poczobut offers a unique perspective on contemporary Belarus and the broader region of the former western Soviet Union. A Polish-Belarusian journalist, opposition activist, and advocate for the Polish minority in Belarus, he spent several years in Lukashenka’s prisons. Released in April 2026 as part of a political-prisoner exchange, he came to Poland, though he intends to return to Belarus eventually.
His struggle for democracy in the face of an oppressive authoritarian regime has earned him numerous distinctions, including the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize and Poland’s highest state decoration, the Order of the White Eagle. Poczobut’s message constitutes an important testimony to the realities of authoritarian rule and a powerful—and urgently relevant—warning.
Speakers
Andrzej Poczobut
Polish-Belarusian Journalist
photo credit Ewa Wołkanowska-Kołodziej
Piotr J. Wróbel
Moderator, Professor Emeritus, Konstanty Reynert Chair of Polish Studies, Department of History, University of Toronto
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