Belarusian Priest's Detention Extended Amid Crackdown on Dissent

The Belarusian human rights group Viasna has condemned the extended detention of Roman Catholic priest Andrzej Jukhniewicz, who was jailed for displaying a Ukrainian flag. His arrest is part of a wider crackdown on dissent in Belarus, which began after disputed 2020 elections. Viasna calls for Jukhniewicz's release.

The prominent Belarusian human rights group Viasna on Tuesday denounced the prolonged detention of Roman Catholic priest Andrzej Jukhniewicz following his early May arrest for displaying the Ukrainian flag in a social media post. Charged with conducting an unauthorized picket, Jukhniewicz's jailing fits into the broader context of Belarus's severe crackdown on dissent.

Belarus, a close ally of Russia, has not sent troops into Ukraine but has allowed Russian forces and missiles on its soil. The wave of dissent began in 2020 following an election, widely regarded as manipulated, that handed a sixth term to authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko. In the resulting crackdown, an estimated 35,000 people were detained, many beaten by police, and leading opposition figures were either exiled or imprisoned.

Jukhniewicz, initially set for release this week, saw his detention extended until July 2 without official explanation, according to a Belarusian Catholic website. In its statement, Viasna called for the release of Jukhniewicz and all political prisoners, stressing the need to end the repression of dissidents.