Belarus: Detention of Roman Catholic priest extended

As reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on 24 June 2024, Belarusian authorities were due to release Roman Catholic priest Andrzej Jukhniewicz after he had served 45 days in prison. He had been arrested in early May and charged for displaying the Ukrainian flag in a social media post. His term has been extended to 2 July.

World Watch Research analyst Rolf Zeegers comments: “Belarus is a close ally of Russia, has hosted Russian troops and missiles and has no tolerance of any signs of support for Ukraine. The extension of the priest's detention is a good example of the sweeping and severe crackdown on dissent that is currently going on in Belarus. The fact that Jukhniewicz is a Catholic priest shows that the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko is not only targeting political opponents; he wants all government critics without exception to be warned of the serious consequences for such dissent. Christians in Belarus are becoming acutely aware that Dictatorial paranoia is growing.”