Pastor Imprisoned

Pastor Georgi Vyazovsky
Photo from Grace to Russia
On March 3, a Belarusian court found Pastor Georgi Vyazovsky of the Christ's Covenant Reformed Baptist Church in Minsk guilty of conducting unregistered religious activities and sentenced him to ten days in prison.  According to Georgi's son, Slava, "We expected that my father would be found guilty. What we did not expect at all is the punishment for his 'crime'. This was a real shock to all of us who were present." Fines and warnings are typically meted out for these types of offenses. According to Slava, this is the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1986 that a pastor has faced prison.  According to Forum 18, the judge gave no reason for his decision, only stating that it was not open to appeal. Church members intend to meet Vyazovsky upon his release as a show of solidarity.

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Belarus News

  • Exiled Religious Advocates Face Charges
    Natallia Vasilevich is standing in front of a building.
    Natallia Vasilevich
    Photo: Ivars Kupcis / WCC

    Criminal charges have been brought against at least two religious freedom advocates currently living outside the country of Belarus. Both individuals have been added to Russia's federal list of wanted persons, meaning they could risk deportation to Belarus if found residing within countries that maintain close ties with the Russian Federation (such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan). When inquiries were made regarding the specific charges against the two believers, Belarusian authorities provided no details.

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  • Supreme Court Denies Churches Legal Status
    People are gathered at the door of a building in a Greek Catholic parish.
    A Greek Catholic Parish.
    Photo: Katolik.life

    Churches in Belarus continue to encounter increasing pressures under a new religion law that came into effect in July 2024. The legislation requires all churches to undergo re-registration, including those that had previously been approved by the government. As a result, three Greek Catholic parishes that were originally registered in the 1990s have had their applications rejected.

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  • Another Church Leader Arrested
    The priest Anatol Parakhnevich is raising a communion cup.
    Father Anatol Parakhnevich
    Photo: Katolik.life
     

    On March 16th, masked security officials arrested Anatol Parakhnevich, a 65-year-old Catholic priest, at his parish in Alkovichi, Minsk Region. During the arrest, officers searched his home as well as the church building. Following the raid, both premises were sealed, with the keys being returned one week later.

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  • Priests Pardoned by the Nation's Presidential Leader
    Father Henryk Akalotovich and Father Andrzej Yuchniewicz are standing with Archbishop Ignazio Ceffalia and Archbishop Iosif Stanevsky.
    Father Henryk (second from left) and Father Andrei
    (second from right), along with two archbishops.
    Photo: Catholic.by

    Two Catholic priests who had been convicted and sentenced to more than 10 years in prison were pardoned and freed from a Belarusian labour camp on November 20th. State media claimed that the church leaders, who were granted clemency by President Alexander Lukashenko, had been "convicted of serious crimes against the state, as well as other crimes."

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