Tomasz Szmydt, a former judge of the Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw, who left Poland in early May and asked the Belarusian authorities for protection, shares his observations and impressions of Belarus in his op-ed.
Hello! My name is Tomasz Szmydt. I'm Polish, born in Bialystok. I have worked in law all my life. Until May 2024, I was a judge of the Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw. I visited Belarus for the first time in the summer of 2023. Back then I was already aware of media bias. The Polish media do not have a single good word about Belarus, about President Aleksandr Lukashenko, or about ordinary people. Unfortunately, the power of the media is great and I, too, had some reservations about how Belarusians would approach a Pole.
Yet, I engaged in conversations with Belarusians, asked them about simple life things, about their opinion of Poles and the European Union. These conversations were very interesting; it is worth noting that Belarusians have a good regard for us, Poles. They understand that we all are Slavs, that we have more things that unite us than divide us. Whatever negative things they had to say were about the Polish government and its policy towards the Republic of Belarus. My interlocutors could not grasp it why the nearest neighbor has no desire to communicate, to cooperate, why there is so much anger in the Polish government, why all these sanctions and difficulties. I still cannot answer these questions, because good neighborly relations are important. But there is no such will on the part of the government in Warsaw.
Personally, I was fascinated by Minsk. It is a blend of old and new. Respect for the heroes of the Red Army, respect for memory and traditions. And at the same time, beautiful modern buildings, wide streets, metro, shops and restaurants. There is a lot of greenery, parks, places where you can relax, Minskoye Morye beaches in the immediate vicinity of Minsk. Everything is neat and tidy. Of course, I visited the Victory over Fascism Park, the Victory Museum [Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War], the National Library. Like Warsaw, Minsk was almost completely destroyed during World War II, and just like the Poles, the Belarusians rebuilt their capital city.
After these moments, the time came to make a difficult decision for me. As a sign of protest against the hostile policy of the Polish government towards Belarus, I decided to resign from the position of a judge of the Republic of Poland and to declare my views. A lot of inner turmoil and stress. But I received a lot of support from my friends in BelTA; I am grateful to them for their help and warm words.
The following two weeks were a series of interviews for Belarusian and Russian media. I was finally able to speak freely about what I thought about the policy of the Polish government, the geopolitical situation in the world, and possible ramifications of the U.S. actions. Interestingly, none of the well-known Polish media outlets reached out to me for an interview. A Polish journalist who did interview me received threats, about which he wrote publicly.
I learned from the Polish media that I was a spy and a traitor. An order has been issued to prosecute me and throw me in prison. However, so far I have not been served with any notice on this matter. Could it be that the Polish post office has gone on strike and is not delivering parcels? Seriously, my example shows how the totalitarian government in Poland works.
But back to pleasant things, i.e. Belarus. Minsk is beautiful, but like every Pole, I wanted to go to Grodno. To see this city, to see its sights. And I did.
Grodno is a combination of Western and Eastern cultures. This manifests in Orthodox churches, places of culture and memory. I was delighted to see that the Belarusian authorities take good care of monuments and Polish cemeteries. You go to Grodno and understand that Polish media lie. It is not surprising that the Polish authorities make tourist trips to Belarus as difficult as possible.
Grodno is beautiful, but I am fascinated by Minsk. When I returned to Minsk, I felt at home.
I really wanted to see the Museum of Brotherhood, Red Army and Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division [Museum of Soviet-Polish Combat Cooperation located in Gorki District, Mogilev Oblast]. The museum is located near the town of Lenino, where “Kosciuszko's soldiers” [Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division during the Great Patriotic War] had their first battle. From here they began a long journey that led them to Berlin.
Lenino is located pretty far away from Minsk, but here I was, only 10km away from the Russian border. The museum is impressive. The architectural idea is very interesting. The building is stylized as a helmet of a Red Army man from the Second World War. A lot of exhibits and explanatory notes in Polish. The tour guide told us in detail how the division was formed, about the battle of Lenino, the combat history, and the heroes of that war.
Official Polish delegations no longer visit the museum, but Poles have not forgotten. The museum is visited by the children and grandchildren of those who served in the 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division and those who cherish the history and memory of the brotherhood of many nations. In the nearby war cemetery, you see Catholic crosses, Orthodox crosses and Stars of David around the monument. This serves as a reminder that Belarusians, Poles, Russians, Ukrainians, Jews and many other peoples fought against the German Third Reich.
On the way back I dropped to see Mogilev. There is a beautiful baroque church there. It is unique because of the early 18th century frescoes. During the Soviet times, the cathedral housed a state archive. After the reconstruction, at the end of the 20th century, the church was returned to the parishioners by the decision of President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
It was time to go back to Minsk. When I returned, I looked at the calendar - I had been in Belarus for over a month. I started to feel at home here. After what the Polish authorities did, I can't go back to my country and I don't miss my homeland yet. Maybe because of the hatred unleashed against me by the Polish media with the participation of the government. Of course, there will be moments when I will miss it. Meanwhile I am happy to be in Belarus.
Hello! My name is Tomasz Szmydt. I'm Polish, born in Bialystok. I have worked in law all my life. Until May 2024, I was a judge of the Voivodeship Administrative Court in Warsaw. I visited Belarus for the first time in the summer of 2023. Back then I was already aware of media bias. The Polish media do not have a single good word about Belarus, about President Aleksandr Lukashenko, or about ordinary people. Unfortunately, the power of the media is great and I, too, had some reservations about how Belarusians would approach a Pole.
Yet, I engaged in conversations with Belarusians, asked them about simple life things, about their opinion of Poles and the European Union. These conversations were very interesting; it is worth noting that Belarusians have a good regard for us, Poles. They understand that we all are Slavs, that we have more things that unite us than divide us. Whatever negative things they had to say were about the Polish government and its policy towards the Republic of Belarus. My interlocutors could not grasp it why the nearest neighbor has no desire to communicate, to cooperate, why there is so much anger in the Polish government, why all these sanctions and difficulties. I still cannot answer these questions, because good neighborly relations are important. But there is no such will on the part of the government in Warsaw.
Personally, I was fascinated by Minsk. It is a blend of old and new. Respect for the heroes of the Red Army, respect for memory and traditions. And at the same time, beautiful modern buildings, wide streets, metro, shops and restaurants. There is a lot of greenery, parks, places where you can relax, Minskoye Morye beaches in the immediate vicinity of Minsk. Everything is neat and tidy. Of course, I visited the Victory over Fascism Park, the Victory Museum [Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War], the National Library. Like Warsaw, Minsk was almost completely destroyed during World War II, and just like the Poles, the Belarusians rebuilt their capital city.
After these moments, the time came to make a difficult decision for me. As a sign of protest against the hostile policy of the Polish government towards Belarus, I decided to resign from the position of a judge of the Republic of Poland and to declare my views. A lot of inner turmoil and stress. But I received a lot of support from my friends in BelTA; I am grateful to them for their help and warm words.
The following two weeks were a series of interviews for Belarusian and Russian media. I was finally able to speak freely about what I thought about the policy of the Polish government, the geopolitical situation in the world, and possible ramifications of the U.S. actions. Interestingly, none of the well-known Polish media outlets reached out to me for an interview. A Polish journalist who did interview me received threats, about which he wrote publicly.
I learned from the Polish media that I was a spy and a traitor. An order has been issued to prosecute me and throw me in prison. However, so far I have not been served with any notice on this matter. Could it be that the Polish post office has gone on strike and is not delivering parcels? Seriously, my example shows how the totalitarian government in Poland works.
But back to pleasant things, i.e. Belarus. Minsk is beautiful, but like every Pole, I wanted to go to Grodno. To see this city, to see its sights. And I did.
Grodno is a combination of Western and Eastern cultures. This manifests in Orthodox churches, places of culture and memory. I was delighted to see that the Belarusian authorities take good care of monuments and Polish cemeteries. You go to Grodno and understand that Polish media lie. It is not surprising that the Polish authorities make tourist trips to Belarus as difficult as possible.
Grodno is beautiful, but I am fascinated by Minsk. When I returned to Minsk, I felt at home.
I really wanted to see the Museum of Brotherhood, Red Army and Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division [Museum of Soviet-Polish Combat Cooperation located in Gorki District, Mogilev Oblast]. The museum is located near the town of Lenino, where “Kosciuszko's soldiers” [Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division during the Great Patriotic War] had their first battle. From here they began a long journey that led them to Berlin.
Lenino is located pretty far away from Minsk, but here I was, only 10km away from the Russian border. The museum is impressive. The architectural idea is very interesting. The building is stylized as a helmet of a Red Army man from the Second World War. A lot of exhibits and explanatory notes in Polish. The tour guide told us in detail how the division was formed, about the battle of Lenino, the combat history, and the heroes of that war.
Official Polish delegations no longer visit the museum, but Poles have not forgotten. The museum is visited by the children and grandchildren of those who served in the 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division and those who cherish the history and memory of the brotherhood of many nations. In the nearby war cemetery, you see Catholic crosses, Orthodox crosses and Stars of David around the monument. This serves as a reminder that Belarusians, Poles, Russians, Ukrainians, Jews and many other peoples fought against the German Third Reich.
On the way back I dropped to see Mogilev. There is a beautiful baroque church there. It is unique because of the early 18th century frescoes. During the Soviet times, the cathedral housed a state archive. After the reconstruction, at the end of the 20th century, the church was returned to the parishioners by the decision of President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
It was time to go back to Minsk. When I returned, I looked at the calendar - I had been in Belarus for over a month. I started to feel at home here. After what the Polish authorities did, I can't go back to my country and I don't miss my homeland yet. Maybe because of the hatred unleashed against me by the Polish media with the participation of the government. Of course, there will be moments when I will miss it. Meanwhile I am happy to be in Belarus.
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