Spouse of award-winning intellectual Ales Bialiatski appeals to Pope Leo for support of imprisoned Catholic figurehead

Imprisoned Belarusian Catholic Priests and Nobel Laureate Ales Bialiatski

Ales Bialiatski, a Catholic Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is currently serving a 10-year sentence in a Belarusian penal colony. His wife, Natallia Pinchuk, has not been allowed to speak to him by telephone since their last meeting in November 2022.

Bialiatski, a prominent human rights activist, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 for his work in demonstrating the significance of civil society for peace and democracy. He supported Belarus's independence from Soviet rule and directed its Viasna Human Rights Center.

However, his journey towards imprisonment began in June 2021 when he was jailed without a trial or conviction. His sentence was later increased to 10 years in a penal colony in March 2023. The specific charges against him were changed from "subversive activities" to "criminal offenses" involving sex with minors, for which he was sentenced to 13 years in April 2024 after a closed trial.

Unfortunately, Bialiatski's lack of communication makes it impossible to ascertain his current medical needs. His wife has expressed concern about his wellbeing, hoping that Pope Leo and Archbishop Ceffalia, the new nuncio, would do something to help those "suffering for their Christian convictions."

Bialiatski is not the only Catholic figure facing persecution in Belarus. Catholic priests Father Henrykh Akalatovich and Oblate Father Andrzej Juchniewicz are also recognised as political prisoners by human rights groups.

Father Akalatovich began a 11-year sentence in a strict-regime penal colony in April 2023 for "high treason." No mention of either Father Akalatovich's or Father Juchniewicz's imprisonment has been made on Catholic Church websites in Belarus.

Vasilevich, the Christian Vision coordinator, stated that Christian Vision had found no evidence to substantiate the abuse accusations against Father Juchniewicz. Despite this, he was arrested in mid-2024 for unspecified "subversive activities" and sentenced to 13 years in April.

In a speech she delivered on his behalf, Pinchuk emphasized the importance of civil society's independence to guarantee the safety of a person from abuses of state power. She closed the speech with the words of St. John Paul II, "Do not be afraid!" adding she was confident in her belief that "spring always comes after winter."

Despite the challenges faced by these individuals, they have not received any public support from any church figure since their arrests. Pinchuk expressed hope that the church would intervene to help those suffering for their Christian convictions.

Spouse of award-winning intellectual Ales Bialiatski appeals to Pope Leo for support of imprisoned Catholic figurehead