Carmelite Catholic priest among detainees released in Belarus prisoner swap
Grzegorz Gawel, a Catholic friar from the Carmelite order in Krakow, has been released from jail in Belarus in a swap with Poland that saw a total of 10 people freed as the authoritarian leader of Belarus seeks improved relations with the West, officials in both countries said Tuesday.
In September 2025, pro-government in Belarus media spread information about his detention in Lepel. Fr Gawel (pictured) was accused of “espionage” (Article 358 of the Criminal Code) — allegedly for obtaining a plan of the Belarusian-Russian exercises “Zapad-2025.”
The report showed a printout of a document from the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus marked “Secret” — “order on the organisation of preparation and participation in the JSU ‘Zapad-2025’.” According to the propagandists, Fr Gawel received it literally a few minutes before his detention. Footage of the document being handed over in a car was also demonstrated — which appeared to have been filmed with a hidden camera.
Also released was Prominent journalist Andrzej Poczobut, a correspondent for the influential Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza and a leading figure among Belarus’ Polish minority, was serving eight years in prison in a case condemned as politically motivated.
His 2021 arrest after covering pro-democracy rallies in Belarus drew widespread criticism. He later was awarded the Sakharov Prize, the European Union’s most prestigious human rights award. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski called Poczobut a symbol of the fight for freedom in Belarus but also of the effectiveness of the Polish state in leaving no one behind.
The swap was the latest in a series of U.S.-negotiated prisoner releases that have marked stronger relations with Minsk under U.S. President Donald Trump.
A Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman said three of the five prisoners released by Belarus came to Poland in exchange for three sent by Poland to Belarus, with a total of 10 involving other countries.
A statement by the Carmelite Order notes that Fr Gawel’s release was a great relief and cause for gratitude both for the brothers of the Polish Province of the Carmelite Order and for all who supported him with prayers.
“At this moment, Brother Grzegorz, after a conversation with Father Provincial, is with his loved ones and needs time to rest after a difficult ordeal. His health condition is good, but he now needs peace and a break,” the statement said.