A Roman Catholic priest in Belarus has been sentenced to three years in prison for opposing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and helping Ukrainian refugees. The verdict, handed down during a closed-door trial, is the latest action in an ongoing crackdown by Belarusian authorities on dissenting voices, according to the Viasna Human Rights Center.
The court convicted Anatoly Parakhnevich, 66, on charges of "insulting the authorities" and "extremism." Viasna, which has designated Parakhnevich as a political prisoner, stated that he denied the charges and plans to appeal.
Parakhnevich, the parish priest in Alkovichy in northwestern Belarus, had openly condemned Russia's war in Ukraine and Belarus's involvement, advocating for peace. He was also involved in organizing aid for Ukrainians, with one sermon questioning whether consciences would ever forgive their inaction.
He has been in custody since his arrest in March and reportedly suffered a heart attack while imprisoned, according to Viasna. Pavel Sapelka, a lawyer with Viasna, noted that authorities are targeting individuals who shape public opinion and that Parakhnevich's sermons reached thousands.
"The trial of the clergyman took place against the backdrop of long-standing, large-scale pressure exerted by the authorities on all religious communities," Sapelka added.
Since a disputed 2020 presidential election, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's government has intensified its repression, leading to the detention of tens of thousands and imprisonment of opposition figures. This crackdown has extended to religious communities, with dozens of clergy from various denominations reportedly jailed, silenced, or forced into exile for protesting the 2020 election or sheltering demonstrators.
Belarusian opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called the verdict against Parakhnevich "heartbreaking" and "politically motivated," emphasizing the continued repression and the filling of prisons with new political prisoners. Viasna reports that there are currently 884 political prisoners in Belarus.