Belarus: priest sent to labor camp after treason conviction (Forum 18)

A Catholic priest in Belarus has begun serving an 11-year prison term after the country’s top court rejected the appeal of his conviction on treason charges.

Father Henryk Okolotovich was arrested in November 2023 and charged with “espionage for Poland and the Vatican.” He was convicted in December 2024, and his appeal denied in April. During his trial he was reportedly under pressure to testify against the Catholic bishops of Belarus, as the country’s government tightens its control on the religious minority.

Father Okolotovich has been assigned to a labor camp.