Authorities in the Russian-aligned dictatorship of Belarus reportedly detained another Catholic priest this week [1].
Fr. Yury Barauniou was subject to “administrative arrest” for alleged possession of “extremist materials.”
The legal definition of “extremist materials” extends to all print and online publications that could be considered critical of the country’s longtime dictator Alexander Lukashenko, his government, or his ally Russia’s war in Ukraine.
A total of 31 Catholic priests have now been subject to administrative arrest in the country since 2020, when mass protests broke out after Lukashenko claimed victory in a disputed presidential “election.”