The parish priest of Wokhin, Fr. Hienrik Akawatovich was sentenced by a Belarusian court to 11 years in a penal colony. It is unclear why the priest and several others were detained, as the process was secret. Media reports unaffiliated with the regime said they had heard “political accusations.”
Father Hienlik Akavatovich was detained in Volozhin on November 17, 2023. Along with him, a housekeeper working at the parsonage was also arrested. She was allegedly persuaded by the service to testify against the priest. Vieusat reported through the website katolik.life.
A retired commander of a military unit next to the church was also detained. The ex-military was supposed to work on the farm every day and was also involved in local government work.
The regime versus the clergy. Father Akawatowicz sentenced to 11 years in prison
Father Akawatowicz waited more than a year for a hearing, but his case only began to be considered on November 25th. The proceedings were held in secret at the Minsk District Court. Therefore, the charges against the priest were not made public.
As Bersat points out, the priest did not admit guilt and called the entire incident a “misunderstanding.” The outlet suggests it may be a case of “high treason” and that the priest was on trial on “political” charges.
See: Former Deputy Minister of Belarusian Television. He attacked Duda and Tusk
During his arrest, most of the letters he wrote were censored, so contact with him remained limited. Judge Vladimir Aleshka announced the sentence of 11 years in prison in a penal colony.
Who is the priest? Hienrich Akavatovich? Even Lukashenko’s media spoke well of him.
Hienrich Akawatowicz, a 64-year-old monk, had cancer in the past and also suffered a heart attack. Just before his arrest, he underwent stomach surgery.
The imprisoned priest has Polish roots. He graduated from the seminary in Riga and then served in Blasław and Raków. He was sent to the diocese of Volozhin in 2005.
He was considered a patriot among the local community and used Belarusian during church services and in everyday conversations. Previously, before his detention, regime media controlled by Alyaksandr Lukashenko had also reported positively about him.
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