Anatoliy Parakhnevich, the parish priest of the Roman Catholic church in Olkovichi, Vileyka District, Belarus, has been convicted in a criminal case. The priest was accused of “insulting the authorities and extremism” and sentenced to three years in prison and a substantial fine.

This was reported by Katolik.life.

The hearings were held behind closed doors, with no members of the public allowed into the courtroom, leaving the details of the case unknown. According to parishioners, even the leadership of the Catholic Curia has no information about the precise charges brought against the priest.

However, parishioners learned that the authorities were unable to secure a conviction against the 66-year-old priest on the original charge of “high treason,” apparently due to a lack of evidence, and instead brought a less serious charge.

Parakhnevich refused to plead guilty and considers the verdict unjust.

We previously reported that Anatoliy Parakhnevich, the parish priest in Olkovichi, Vileyka District, Belarus, had been detained. Parakhnevich was accused of “high treason.”

As LF reported, the Belarusian authorities have been seizing and selling the property of Catholic priest Genrikh Okolotovich on the orders of the KGB. The priest was convicted of “high treason” and released two years later following a request from the Vatican.

Earlier, a Catholic priest and two evangelical pastors were detained in Belarus.

We also previously reported that, as of the end of September 2026, human rights defenders had identified 25 Christians held as political prisoners in Belarus.