European Parliament has awarded 2025 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Andrzej Poczobut, Belarusian-Polish journalist and a critic of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, and Mzia Amaglobeli, Georgian journalist and director of media outlets Batumelebi and Netgazeti.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) General Secretary Anthony Bellanger welcomed the award to jailed journalists. He also hopes that it will draw attention to their unjust situation.
“We are deeply concerned about the conditions faced by journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli in prison. welcomes the awards with hopes this decision will help draw attention to cases of unjustly detained awardees journalists.
IFJ also calls for the immediate release of all imprisoned journalists and media workers in Belarus and Georgia.
Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli are both journalists unjustly imprisoned in Belarus and Georgia respectively, just for doing their jobs.
A Belarusian court sentenced Poczobut to eight years in prison in February 2023.
The case of Amaglobeli follows a similar pattern. The Georgian journalist was sentenced to two years in August 2025.
IFJ report based.
