Source: www.forum18.org
Date: April 10, 2026
https://www.forum18.org/archiv
By Felix Corley, Forum 18
On 16 March, masked security officers arrested 65-year-old Catholic priest
Fr Anatol Parakhnevich in his parish in Alkovichi in Vileika District of
Minsk Region, where he has served for nearly 20 years. They searched his
home and the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church until the
evening. The KGB secret police sealed Fr Parakhnevich's home and took the
church keys. Officials returned the keys only a week later, meaning that
Sunday Mass had to be cancelled on 22 March as the parish had no access to
the church.
Fr Parakhnevich has been held since his 16 March arrest. This includes the
period of Holy Week running up to Easter (which Catholics celebrated on 5
April). This is the holiest part of the year for Christians. Some have
speculated that he is being held at the KGB secret police's Investigation
Prison in Minsk (see below).
Fr Yuri Yasevich, spokesperson for the Catholic Bishops' Conference, said
the Church has no information about Fr Parakhnevich's case. "We know he was
detained and his home was sealed, but we don't know where he is being held
or what any accusations against him might be," he told Forum 18 from Minsk
(see below).
Officials refuse to say which state agency arrested Fr Parakhnevich, where
he has been held since his arrest and what any accusations against him are.
The Information Department of Minsk Region Police did not answer Forum 18's
written questions (see below).
The duty officer at Vileika District Police would not answer any questions
about Fr Parakhnevich. "I can't provide any information," he told Forum 18.
He then put the phone down (see below).
The listed number for the Minsk City and Region KGB went unanswered each
time Forum 18 called on 9 and 10 April (see below).
Told that Forum 18 had been unable to find out why Fr Parakhnevich had been
arrested, Andrei Aryayev, the Head of the Religious Department of the
Office of the Plenipotentiary for Religious and Ethnic Affairs in Minsk,
told Forum 18: "I don't have any information either." He then put the phone
down (see below).
Olga Topdemir is head of Minsk Region Administration's Ideology and Youth
Chief Directorate, one of whose duties is controlling religion. Forum 18
asked her why officials had arrested Fr Parakhnevich. "I don't know what
you want from me," she said and then put the phone down (see below).
The arrest of Fr Anatol Parakhnevich came four months after the regime
freed two other Catholic priests. Fr Henryk Okolotovich and Fr Andrei
Yukhnevich, handed long sentences at closed trials, were pardoned and freed
from labour camp in November 2025. They were immediately taken to Minsk
airport and travelled to Rome. They both remain there, unable to return to
resume their ministry in Belarus (see below).
Since Fr Okolotovich's release and exile, the regime continues to seize his
property to pay debts the court said he owed. The authorities have already
sold his 19-year-old car, but a small land plot he inherited from his
parents failed to attract any bidders, either in February or in April (see
below).
Regime's tight controls on freedom of religion or belief
Against Belarus' international human rights commitments, any exercise of
freedom of religion or belief without state permission is illegal.
Individuals and communities can be punished
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Article 193-1 punishes "organisation of or participation in activity by an
unregistered political party, foundation, civil or religious organisation"
with a fine or imprisonment for up to two years.
A repressive new Religion Law came into force on 5 July 2024. This mandated
a one-year timeframe for Belarus' more than 3,500 registered religious
communities to submit documentation for compulsory re-registration by 5
July 2025. Any community that had not submitted a re-registration
application by the deadline – or whose application was rejected - was to
be liquidated through the courts.
It appears that between 3 and 13 percent of local religious communities
failed to get the compulsory re-registration
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
liquidated through the courts.
The regime strictly controls the exercise by foreign citizens of their
freedom of religion and belief, and only religious headquarter bodies that
have state permission to exist can invite foreigners to work with them.
Aleksandr Rumak, the Plenipotentiary for Religious and Ethnic Affairs in
Minsk, the regime's senior religious affairs official, alone decides
whether the religious work by a foreign citizen is "necessary", and can
refuse permission without giving any reason
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
The regime has consistently tried to reduce the number of foreign citizens
the Plenipotentiary allows to work in registered religious organisations.
The Plenipotentiary has often rejected applications by leaders of religious
organisations for permission to bring in foreign citizens, including
applications by Orthodox and Catholic bishops.
Polish Catholic parish priest Fr Paweł Kruczek – who had served in
Belarus for almost 20 years - and Fr Adam Straczyński - for 11 years –
were forced to leave in spring 2026
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Dziemianko of Pinsk described their "forced departure" as "painful".
Plenipotentiary Rumak refused the Bishop's request for the two to continue
to be allowed to conduct religious work in Belarus. Andrei Aryayev of the
Religious Department of the Plenipotentiary's Office in Minsk and Irina
Zakharevich of the Ideology Directorate of Brest Regional Executive
Committee both refused to discuss the refusals with Forum 18 in March.
Two decades' parish service
Fr Anatol Yevgenyevich Parakhnevich (born in Belarus 16 June 1960) – who
grew up an orphan - gained his religious education in the Polish city of
Bialystok. He was ordained a Catholic priest in June 1995, and served in
parishes in Rakov and Zaslavl, in Minsk Region.
Fr Parakhnevich has been priest of the parish of the Visitation of the
Blessed Virgin Mary in the small village of Alkovichi in Vileika District
of Minsk Region since 2007. He also founded a small museum attached to the
church. In 2025, he celebrated the 30th anniversary of his ordination, the
independent Catholic news outlet Katolik.life noted.
(In July 2024, the Information Ministry listed Katolik.life as "extremist".
In August 2024, a court in Minsk Region declared Katolik.life's Telegram
channel "extremist". One month later, the Inspectorate for Supervision of
Telecommunications blocked access in Belarus to the Telegram channel on the
basis of the Information Ministry's decision. In August 2025, by decision
of Grodno's Lenin District Court, the Information Ministry added all
Katolik.life's social media pages to the list of "extremist materials"
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
On 19 June 2020, the local news website Shlyakh Peramogi (Path of Victory)
published a positive article about Fr Parakhnevich. It described him as a
"shepherd of human souls, historian and collector of antiquities".
On 22 May 2022, a hostile article in News.by said that Fr Parakhnevich had
been among attendees at a "secret" event to mark Poland's Constitution Day
(3 May). The event had been organised by the Polish embassy in Minsk which,
"strangely", decided to hold it at the Ukrainian embassy.
Arrest
Masked security officers arrested Fr Anatol Parakhnevich in Alkovichi on 16
March. Human rights organisation Viasna (Spring) first reported the arrest
on 20 March (https://t.me/viasna96/34187#)
(In August 2023, the Interior Ministry labelled Viasna an "extremist
formation" and banned its activities including its website and many of its
other social media, adding the group to the "List of organisations,
formations and individual entrepreneurs linked to extremist activities"
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
On the morning of Monday 16 March, several cars arrived to detain Fr
Parakhnevich. "All the officials were wearing masks - they left only in the
evening," Viasna noted on 23 March 2026 (https://t.me/viasna96/34243#)
"The priest's house was sealed, the security forces also searched for
something in the church. The faithful cannot enter the church because they
do not have keys."
Fr Parakhnevich has been held since his 16 March arrest. This includes the
period of Holy Week running up to Easter (which Catholics celebrated on 5
April). This is the holiest part of the year for Christians.
"We don't know where he is being held"
Fr Anatol Parakhnevich's parishioners have no information about why he has
been arrested or where he is being held.
Soon after Fr Parakhnevich's arrest, the Minsk-Mogilev Archdiocese sent a
statement to diocesan priests about his case, Christian Vision noted on 23
March (https://t.me/christianvision/
received from the faithful of the parish of the Visitation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary in the village of Alkovichi, Vileika Deanery, since 17 March
2026, the parish priest Fr Anatol Parakhnevich has been absent, the house
where the priest lived is sealed with KGB seals," the statement noted.
"On Sunday 22 March 2026, the church was closed and Holy Mass was not
celebrated. There is no official information regarding the whereabouts of
Fr Anatol Parakhnevich in the Curia to this day." The Archdiocese asked the
priests to pray in connection with the situation.
Fr Yuri Yasevich, spokesperson for the Catholic Bishops' Conference, said
the Church has no information about Fr Parakhnevich's case. "We know he was
detained and his home was sealed, but we don't know where he is being held
or what any accusations against him might be," he told Forum 18 from Minsk
on 9 April.
"The priest has been behind bars for over two weeks, and it's unclear why
he was detained or what he's accused of," Katolik.life noted on 7 April
(https://katolik.life/rus/news
"There has been no official statement from the Catholic Church on this
matter. Priests are not telling the faithful about their brother's fate,
and some note that there is, indeed, no information about the parish priest
in Alkovichi. Perhaps the bishops know something, but they are not sharing
it."
"He has no relatives, so no one – apart from the bishops – can find
anything out about him," Katolik.life lamented.
Officials give no information
Officials have given no public information about why they arrested Fr
Anatol Parakhnevich and what charges (if any) he might face. Some have
speculated that he is being held at the KGB secret police's Investigation
Prison in Minsk.
The listed number for the Minsk City and Region KGB went unanswered each
time Forum 18 called on 9 and 10 April.
Olga Topdemir is head of Minsk Region Administration's Ideology and Youth
Chief Directorate, one of whose duties is controlling religion. Forum 18
asked her on 9 April why officials had arrested Fr Parakhnevich. "I don't
know what you want from me," she said and then put the phone down.
The duty officer at Vileika District Police would not answer any questions
about Fr Parakhnevich. "I can't provide any information," he told Forum 18
on 8 April. He then put the phone down.
Forum 18 wrote to the Information Department of Minsk Region Police before
the start of the working day of 9 April asking:
- Which state agency had arrested Fr Parakhnevich;
- What he is being accused of; and
- Where he is being held.
Forum 18 had received no response by the middle of the working day in Minsk
of 10 April.
Told that Forum 18 had been unable to find out why Fr Parakhnevich had been
arrested, Andrei Aryayev, the Head of the Religious Department of the
Office of the Plenipotentiary for Religious and Ethnic Affairs, told Forum
18 on 8 April: "I don't have any information either." He then put the phone
down.
Church inaccessible for a week
Officials took the keys of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church
in Alkovichi during the 16 March raids and searches. Parishioners were
unable to gain access to the church on Sunday 22 March and Mass could not
be celebrated. Soon afterwards, officials returned the keys and allowed the
church to be used once again. A visiting priest is now celebrating Masses
there for local villagers, Katolik.life noted on 7 April.
Fr Parakhnevich's home in Alkovichi remains sealed.
No return for released, exiled Catholic priests
The arrest of Fr Anatol Parakhnevich came four months after the regime
freed two other Catholic priests. Fr Henryk Okolotovich and Fr Andrei
Yukhnevich, handed long sentences at closed trials, were pardoned and freed
from labour camp on 20 November 2025
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
immediately taken to Minsk airport and travelled to Rome. They both remain
there, unable to return to resume their ministry in Belarus.
State news agency Belta claimed both priests had committed "serious crimes
against the state". Both rejected all the accusations against them. Deputy
Plenipotentiary for Religious and Ethnic Affairs Sergei Gerasimenya refused
to tell Forum 18 in November 2025
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
allow them to return to Belarus and resume parish ministry.
Since Fr Okolotovich's release and exile, the regime continues to seize his
property to pay debts the court said he owed, Christian Vision noted
(https://belarus2020.churchby.
In February 2026, on the KGB's orders, the Belyurobespechenie website –
which sells off seized and confiscated property – announced two lots: a
small plot of land in the village of Novaya Mysh in Baranovichi District
and a 2007 Volkswagen. Both had been seized from Fr Okolotovich. The car
was sold on 3 February but no bidders came forward for the land plot which
he had inherited from his parents, either on 24 February or again on 7
April. (END)
More reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Belarus
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
For background information, see Forum 18's Belarus religious freedom survey
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments
(https://www.forum18.org/archi
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