by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A pastor in Belarus was sentenced to 15 days in prison earlier this month after praying that the Russian invasion of Ukraine would end, Christian Daily (CD) reports.
Bordering both Russia and Ukraine, Belarus is led by authoritarian President Aleksandr Lukašenko, a strong supporter and ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who ordered the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Rev. Alyaksandr Zaretski, the pastor of an evangelical church in Belarus’ Vitebsk Region, had been imprisoned by the authorities even prior to his latest detention, CD reports. The church leader was first imprisoned for two weeks following a sermon he preached on Feb. 18 in which he called for the Russian military to leave Ukraine.
Pastor Zaretski was due to be released on Mar. 8 but was rearrested on March 5 or 6 (sources differ) under a law pertaining to “violation of the order of organization and holding of mass events.”
In his sermon, the pastor said: “Let’s pray for those who are in prisons for falsified reasons…Let’s pray for Ukraine, come to prayers for Ukraine.” Three witnesses to the sermon reported him to the Chashnytskyi District Executive Committee which then had him arrested.
Concerning the violation of religious freedom in Belarus, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom reported in December last year: “The religious freedom situation in Belarus continues to deteriorate as Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka subjugates every aspect of social life to the state’s security and bureaucratic apparatuses.”
“Christian religious leaders of all denominations are often detained, fined, imprisoned, and forced into exile for activities that the state perceives as political in nature,” the USCIRF said.
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