Authorities in authoritarian Belarus are accusing a Roman Catholic priest of treason, according to human rights activists.
On the Belarusian-language website of Vatican Radio – Vatican News, the “Pages of History” section is online, a podcast that talks about the persecutions and heroism of …
As the organization “Christian Vision for Belarus” reported over the weekend, the accusation is directed at pastor Henryk Akalatovich, from the district town of Valoshyn, in the Minsk region. He was arrested.
According to the Belarusian Criminal Code, treason carries a prison sentence of 7 to 15 years. “Christian Vision” did not provide details about the allegations. The organization cites anonymous sources in its report on the case. Akalatovich is in poor health. He recently suffered a heart attack and had stomach surgery due to cancer.
According to an independent news portal in the country, the cleric was secretly ordained a priest in the Soviet Union in 1984. He therefore comes from a Polish family.
President Alexandr Lukashenko
Massive repression
Belarusian authorities are suppressing public criticism of the regime of ruler Alexander Lukashenko. They also took several measures against the Catholic Church, to which around ten percent of Belarusians belong. Last year, the regime took away a traditional church in the capital from Catholics.
This year, several clerics from various denominations have already been sentenced to prison terms lasting several days. Due to massive state repression, Catholic bishops in Belarus avoid criticizing human rights violations.
(kna – sk)