A Pole sentenced to life in Congo for espionage has been released and sent back to Europe

Congolese authorities have released a Pole sentenced to life in prison for espionage, the Polish Foreign Minister announced on Tuesday.

Radek Sikorski wrote on the social network X that Mariusz Majewski was back in Europe. Sikorski posted a brief video of himself apparently speaking to Majewski on the phone to welcome him back. He did not say where Majewski was exactly.

The 52-year-old was arrested by Congolese forces in February and was later brought before a military court in the restive central African country, accused of espionage. Last week he was sentenced to life in prison. No details were released about where he was being held.

The Polish Foreign Ministry protested Majewski's innocence. Last week, President Andrzej Duda spoke on the phone with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi to try to secure Majewski's release.

Poland does not have a diplomatic mission in Congo.

Last week, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski said without elaborating that Majewski “is not a spy, he is a member of a travelers club” and that he was not than following your “passion in life”.

Wronski said that it was because of a series of circumstances and chance events that he ended up in the Congo and that his “behavior was the result of a lack of knowledge of local customs.”

Earlier this month, the Congolese army said it had foiled a coup attempt and arrested the perpetrators, including foreigners. Several American citizens are among those arrested.