Belarus: Imprisoned Preacher Remains In Jail
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A Belarusian preacher, Syarhey Melyanets, has still not been released from jail in Belarus after being sentenced to 13 days’ imprisonment on unspecified charges, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reports.
Melyanets’ imprisonment is part of an ongoing crackdown on civilians by Belarus’ authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. As Worthy News reported, evangelical pastor Rev. Alyaksandr Zaretski was recently jailed in Belarus shortly after giving a sermon in which he prayed that Russia would end its invasion of Ukraine. Lukashenka is renowned for his support of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
In a post on the Telegram social media channel, Christian Vision said Melyanets, the father of seven children, had still not been released.
“Melyanets is known for attending the Minsk trials of activists who face charges that are widely seen as politically motivated and publishing articles about them on Facebook,” RFE noted in its report. “Very often, political activists are not released in Belarus after serving their administrative jail terms,” RFE added. “They are usually then presented with additional criminal charges.”
The Viasna Human Rights Center, Belarus’ leading human rights group, reported recently that thousands of Belarusian civilians have been convicted on trumped-up political charges in the last three years.
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