Priest arrested in Belarus for calling to pray for Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
A pastor in Belarus was arrested for 15 days for calling to pray for Ukraine during a sermon in church.
In Belarus, Alexander Zaretsky, a pastor of an evangelical church from Novolukoml, was arrested for 15 days because he called in his sermons to pray for Ukraine. This was reported by Radio Liberty, according to UNN.
Details
According to the resolution, on February 18, the pastor made the following statements while on duty in the church "in the presence of citizens in order to express his socio-political interests":
"Let's pray for those who are imprisoned for far-fetched reasons," "Look at how senior officials say one thing, but people on the streets see something else," "Let's pray for Ukraine, let's come to prayers for Ukraine.
The court found that with such statements, the pastor "took part in a picket" without the permission of the district executive committee.
At the trial, Zaretsky pleaded not guilty and stated that the statement was taken out of context and used as an example to explain during his sermon.
Recall
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has amended the statutes of the country's armed forces, according to which military personnel are allowed to use "firearms, special means, military and special equipment against citizens in the performance of their tasks.