A Catholic priest in Belarus, Rev. Henrykh Akalatovich, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of high treason for criticizing the government, marking the first politically motivated conviction of Catholic clergy since the country gained independence after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.
The ruling comes amid a broader crackdown on dissent as Belarus prepares for its January 26 presidential election, which is expected to grant authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko a seventh term.
Akalatovich, 64, denied the treason charges and is listed by the Viasna Human Rights Centre as one of 1,265 political prisoners in Belarus.
According to Viasna representative Pavel Sapelka, this marks the first time a Catholic priest in Belarus has been convicted on criminal charges typically reserved for political prisoners. He suggested that the harsh sentence aims to intimidate and silence other clergy ahead of the election.
Akalatovich, who has been in custody since November 2023, was diagnosed with cancer before his arrest and underwent surgery shortly before being detained. The priest, known for his government criticism in sermons, has been held in isolation, with prison authorities rejecting attempts to send him warm clothing and food.
Akalatovich is among many clergy members—Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant—who have been imprisoned, silenced, or forced into exile following protests against the disputed 2020 presidential election, which the opposition and Western countries claimed was fraudulent. The protests triggered a violent crackdown by the government, with over 65,000 people arrested and thousands beaten by police.
Clergy members who supported the protests and offered refuge to demonstrators were particularly targeted. Belarusian authorities have sought to control the clergy by monitoring their activities, including sermons, social media, and church websites. Although Orthodox Christians make up the majority of the population, Catholics and Protestants are also present in the country.
President Lukashenko, who has been in power for nearly three decades, has been a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, permitting Russia to use Belarus as a base for military operations in Ukraine and to station tactical nuclear weapons there.