Since 2020, more than 1,200 people have been convicted in Belarus for “insulting” dictator Lukashenka and “slandering” him, the Human rights center “Viasna” estimates. Political repression has not spared the Christian priests.
During this time, art. 368 of the Criminal Code (“insulting” Lukashenka) convicted at least 963 people, some of them in combination with other charges. According to human rights activists, at least 263 people have been convicted of “slandering” Lukashenka (art. 367 of the Criminal Code) since 2020, 149 of them were sentenced to a penal colony under general and enhanced regime.
Detentions and trials for “insulting Lukashenka ” and “slandering ” him continue even now, human rights activists say. According to them, in just two weeks – from October 21 to November 1 — about 20 people in Belarus were tried under the article “insulting Lukashenka”, 7 more people were convicted of “slandering Lukashenka”.
In turn, 11 clergymen have been subjected to administrative and criminal prosecution since the beginning of 2024. This is reported by the “Christian Vision”.
Human rights activists have estimated that the total number of cases of repression against priests since September 2020 has reached 74 cases. The repression directly affected 25 Roman Catholic, 19 Orthodox, 5 Greek Catholic and 25 Protestant priests.
