Pastor Antoni Bokun Receives Three-day Sentence

Belarus mapPastor Antoni Bokun, who was arrested and fined on May 28 for holding an "unsanctioned mass meeting" (click here for more details) received a three-day prison sentence on June 4 for leading a worship service without state permission the previous day. According to Forum 18, the day he spent in detention following his June 3 arrest is considered part of his sentence. Bokun is scheduled for release on June 6.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Belarus, go to the Belarus Country Report.

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Belarus News

  • 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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  • KGB Declares Religious Freedom Group "Extremist"
    A church is seen between two trees.
    An Orthodox Church in Belarus.
    Photo: Pexels

    Amidst the ongoing oppression of Christians in Belarus, an organization was established in 2020, bringing together leaders from multiple churches in an effort to monitor and publicize persecution in the country. The organization was registered in neighbouring Lithuania as "Christian Vision for Belarus."

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