The reasons for Genrikh's detention are unknown, but it appears the priest has become the latest religious figure to be affected by the regime's repression of religious communities in Belarus.
Henry suffered a heart attack and recently underwent stomach surgery due to cancer; he requires medical supervision and constant medication.
December 6 marked 20 days since the arrest of Father Genrikh Okolotovich, the rector of the parish. During this time, he was expected to either be charged with a criminal offense or released. According to sources at Katolik.life, the priest was remanded in custody, meaning he was charged.
The specific article of the Criminal Code has not yet been named, but the 20-day period for filing charges from the moment of arrest is stipulated for a number of "anti-state" articles, such as espionage and treason. However, the exact charges against the priest remain unknown.
In November 2025, he was pardoned after a visit to Belarus by Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, as a special envoy of Pope Leo XIV.
Convicted of insulting the commander of the riot police of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate of the Minsk City Executive Committee, D. Balaba, to restriction of freedom without direction. 13.10. 2023 the regime was replaced by imprisonment.
According to the case materials , the defendant subscribed to Telegram channels in 2022 and actively participated in their activities through Telegram bots. Specifically, while in Gomel, he took photos and videos of military equipment movements. He then sent these photos and videos, along with commentary on the vehicles' routes, to Telegram channels through the bots that facilitated his activities. The court ruled that the Telegram resources used by the defendant constituted extremist material.
Graduate of the River Fleet vocational school.
On January 9, 2024, the appeal was heard. The verdict entered into force.
According to human rights activists , he will be released in the fall of 2025.
Trial outcome 08.11.2023
2 years 6 months of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions.
First, in April 2023, he was detained under an administrative article allegedly for "propaganda or public display, production, distribution of Nazi symbols or attributes." After that, a criminal case was opened.
It is known that in March 2023, the man published a video in support of Ukraine on his TikTok account with just over a thousand subscribers, in which Lukashenko was also harshly criticized. The video is currently unavailable. It is known about the man that he is divorced and works as a car mechanic.
On 01.02.2024, the appeal was heard and the verdict came into force.
He was scheduled to be releasedonJuly15,2025.
Trial outcome 01.11.2023
2 years of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions.
State TV reported on the details of the trials of the two men (Borisov Vadim Sergeevich and Volk Oleg Aleksandrovich). The voiceover said that one of the men, drunk, tore a state flag off a store on the evening of September 8, 2023 in the village of Novaya Mysh (Baranovichi district), damaging the fastening. He put the flag in a backpack and took it home. The police came for the man in the morning.
On 19.01.2024, the appeal was heard and the verdict came into force.
According to human rights activists, he was released on June 9, 2024, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
Trial outcome 31.10.2023
1 year of imprisonment in colony under general regime conditions.
Borisov photographer who was detained on June 22, 2023. Security forces searched the house and took away computer equipment. After this, Zenkov was immediately taken to Minsk, where he was kept for some time in the temporary detention center on Akrestsin, and then transferred to pre-trial detention center No. 1.
As BAJ wrote , the photographer was detained in July 2020. In September, police officers came to Zenkov to “warn him about the inadmissibility of violating the law.”
Alexander Zenkov has worked as a freelance photographer since 1998, collaborating with regional independent publications.
On April 16, 2024, Alexander had a hearing of his appeal.
In a confessional video on a pro-government channel, Alexander says that he was detained for sending a video of military equipment to a chat. At that time, he was allegedly scared, so he posted the video out of emotion. “In this chat there was a narrative that hostilities were about to begin between Belarus and Ukraine,” says the engineer.
The video shows screenshots from the chat. The explanation for the video with military equipment says that it is moving along the M1 highway towards Brest. It is unknown when this was filmed.
In the video , Alexander says that he works as a karate trainer and was charged with making a video of military equipment and posting it on an “extremist” telegram channel. The detainee also said that in 2020 he hung ribbons on poles and signs and posted leaflets along the road.
On April 19, 2024, an appeal hearing was held and the verdict came into force.
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