Belarus: Three Catholic priests arrested
Friday, May 26, 2023 (5:19 PM)
Police in Belarus have arrested three Catholic priests for unknown reasons, Belarusian rights activists report May 26, 2023. Two Latin Rite priests and a Greek Catholic priest were arrested on May 25 at three locations in the Vitebsk region in the north of the country. The authorities confiscated their mobile phones and computers.
Roman Catholic priests are said to come from the town of Miory and the nearby town where they administer the parishes. According to Christian Vision for Belarus, a Greek Catholic priest was arrested in Polotsk.
The Belarusian authorities are cracking down on any public criticism of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime and its support for Russia’s war against Ukraine. Even posting the Ukrainian flag on Facebook accounts has already been punished.
Courts have also repeatedly convicted clerics of various denominations. In July 2022, a Catholic priest was jailed for 15 days for violating the rules governing the staging of major events.
