The European Commission said the Belarusian authorities have started targeting the Polish minority in that country, which is Poland's eastern neighbour.
It added, in comments reported by Polish state news agency PAP, that the Belarusian authorities have been orchestrating campaigns against human rights activists, the opposition and journalists.
The European Commission's appeal came after Andrzej Poczobut, a senior member of the Association of Poles in Belarus, was detained by police in the city of Grodno, close to the Polish border, on Thursday morning.
Andżelika Borys. Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański
Meanwhile, Andżelika Borys, the head of the association, was detained by police in Grodno on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, she was sentenced to 15 days of confinement for organizing an "illegal mass event."
Polish media reported that the event in question was a traditional annual fair held by her association.
Stop treating Poles as 'hostages': PM
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday urged the Belarusian authorities not to "harass" Poles in that country and to stop treating them as "hostages."
He added that he would raise the issue of Borys's detention at an EU summit on Thursday.
The Association of Poles in Belarus is not recognized by the Belarusian authorities but is nevertheless active, according to the PAP news agency.
Borys was re-elected as its leader on Saturday.
'Attempt to intimidate' Polish community in Belarus
The Polish prime minister’s chief of staff, Michał Dworczyk, said that the detention of Borys was "a typical example of an attempt to intimidate the Polish community" in Belarus.
Dworczyk added: "We absolutely do not accept the persecution of the Polish minority in Belarus."
Earlier, the foreign ministry in Warsaw called for Borys to be released as soon as possible.
(pk)
Source: PAP/Polish Radio
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