The Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Belarus, Małgorzata Gosiewska, her deputies Tomas Tobé and Michał Kobosko, and the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur on Belarus, Helmut Brandstätter, have issued a joint statement concerning the closed-door criminal trial of Father Anatoliy Parakhnevich in Belarus.

This was reported by Charter 97.

According to the statement, the decision to hold the trial behind closed doors, the complete lack of transparency and the absence of reliable information about Father Parakhnevich’s health raise serious concerns about respect for fundamental human rights and essential safeguards for a fair trial.

The signatories emphasise that Belarusian human rights defenders, including the Viasna Human Rights Centre, have recognised Parakhnevich as a political prisoner, citing the repressive and politically motivated nature of his prosecution.

“The persecution of Father Parakhnevich is not an isolated case. It forms part of a broader, systematic campaign of repression carried out in Belarus by the Lukashenko regime against the Catholic Church, other Christian communities, independent clergy, journalists, human rights defenders, civil society activists, and members of national and religious minorities. The regime has repeatedly used charges of espionage and high treason as tools of intimidation and repression against individuals whom the authorities regard as independent or critical,” the statement reads.

Particular concern has been expressed over the systematic restrictions on freedom of conscience, belief and religion in Belarus.

“We strongly condemn the persecution of Father Anatoliy Parakhnevich and all forms of repression against clergy, believers and religious communities in Belarus. We call on the Lukashenko regime to end its persecution of religious communities, restore the legal status of organisations that have been unlawfully denied registration, reverse unjustified decisions to dissolve them, and guarantee genuine freedom of conscience, religion and belief in accordance with Belarus’s international obligations,” the statement reads.

As LF previously reported, criminal proceedings against Father Anatoliy Parakhnevich, parish priest of the Catholic parish in Olkovichi, Vileyka District, are under way in Minsk. According to the outlet, the trial is being held behind closed doors, and no official information about the proceedings has been released.

We previously reported that Father Anatoliy Parakhnevich, parish priest in Olkovichi, Vileyka District, had been detained in Belarus. Parakhnevich faces charges of “high treason”.

As LF reported, as of the end of September 2026, there were 25 Christians on the list of political prisoners in Belarus whose identities were known to human rights defenders.