A Catholic activist in Belarus was sentenced to three years in prison on Friday for charges that Western diplomats have denounced as politically motivated, the latest move in authorities’ sweeping crackdown on the country’s civil society. be.
Vladislav Belazed, 33, who taught catechism at the Cathedral of the Holy Name of the Virgin Mary in the city, was found guilty of insulting the president and inciting social discord.
Belazed was an active participant in the protests sparked by the 2020 vote that gave Belarus’ authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko a second term, and was accused by opposition parties and Western countries of fraud. Ta. Belarusian authorities responded to the mass demonstrations with a brutal crackdown, with more than 35,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police.
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Velazed was detained by police several times at rallies. He continued to support the country’s movement for free elections and publicly prayed for peace after Russia began the war in Ukraine.
During the protests, some Catholic and Protestant churches provided shelter and support to demonstrators. Catholic and Protestant clergy who supported the protests and sheltered demonstrators in their churches were targeted for repression, and even some Orthodox priests denounced the repression.
Flag of the Republic of Belarus as a participating country of the 12th St. Petersburg International Gas Forum (SPIGF 2023). (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket, Getty Images)
Approximately 80% of Belarus’s population of 9.5 million are Orthodox Christians. About 14% are Catholics, mainly living in the western, northern and central regions of the country, and a further 2% belong to Protestant churches.
Velazedo has been in custody since his arrest in May 2023, and the Viasna Human Rights Center reports that Velazedo has serious health problems and that relatives who attended the trial witnessed signs of beatings on him. reported that it did. Viasna said Belazez was also forced to record a video in his cell claiming he was gay “under apparent coercion.”
Belajed’s case dealt another devastating blow to Belarus’ beleaguered civil society, but drew sharp criticism from Western diplomats, who called the charges against him unwarranted and politically motivated. did.
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Viasna says there are more than 1,400 political prisoners in the country, including the group’s founder and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatsky.
