Polish officials fired over Belarus activist case

Poland has dismissed two prosecutors responsible for providing information that helped Belarus arrest a leading human rights activist.

Ales Belyatsky was charged with tax evasion after Polish prosecutors disclosed the details of a bank account he had in Poland to finance the activities of a Belarussian opposition group – Vesna-96.

Poland apologised for what it said was a “reprehensible mistake” and the Prosecutor General Andrzej Seremet said two of his subordinates had lost their jobs over the case.

“I have accepted the resignation of the head of the international cooperation department and dismissed his deputy,” Seremet said. “I have also ordered an investigation in regard to the prosecutor responsible for this case and asked that she be moved to a different unit outside the international cooperation department,” he added.

The case is an embarrassment for Poland. It currently holds the European Union’s rotating presidency and wants to help shape the bloc’s policy towards its eastern neighbours.

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