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Picture from Grace to Russia |
This is the first such jail sentence in Belarus in twenty years. However, another case may be imminent, as Sergei Tsvor, the pastor of the Good News Church in Minsk, faces a court hearing on similar charges. The 100-member congregation meets in a home but received government re-registration in 2002. More details will be released as they become available.
More information on the persecution of Christians in Belarus can be found on the Belarus Country Report.
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.
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.
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.
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."
