BELARUS: Release of two Catholic priests sentenced to 11 and 13 years in prison
HRWF (20.11.2025) – On 20 November 2025, President Lukashenka released two Catholic priests, Henrikh Okolatovich and Andrzej Juchnevich, convicted of “serious crimes against the state.”
The Roman Catholic Church in Belarus said the release of both priests followed a visit to Belarus last month by Vatican envoy Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, on behalf of Pope Leo.
Henrikh Okolatovich is a priest from Volozhin. He was serving an 11-year sentence for treason after being accused of spying for Poland and the Vatican – charges that he said were based on “lies, threats and blackmail”. He was arrested in 2023, soon after undergoing stomach surgery for cancer. Before the trial, he was held in the KGB pre-trial detention centre. He was charged with “state treason” (Art. 356 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Andrzej Juchnevich is a Catholic priest of the Roman Catholic parish in Shumilino, home to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima. On 30 April 2025, the Shumilino District Court sentenced him to 13 years in a penal colony for allegedly abusing minors, charges the priests denied. The trial was held behind closed doors.
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BELARUS: A Catholic priest sentenced to 11 years in prison for “espionage” for the Vatican
