Belarusian authorities have sentenced Vyachaslau Hancharenka, the pastor of the New Life evangelical church in Minsk, to 10 days in jail on a charge of resisting a law enforcement officer's orders. Christian activist Syarhey Melyanets said on Facebook on August 15 that Hancharenka's son-in-law Illya Buday also was handed a five-day jail sentence on a hooliganism charge. Minsk authorities said in June that they plan to demolish the New Life church's building and build a school on its site. In 2020, Hancharenka publicly condemned the brutal dispersal of mass protests against the official results of a disputed presidential election. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
Evangelical Pastor In Belarus, Son-In-Law, Jailed Amid Crackdown
Vyachaslau Hancharenka, pastor of the New Life evangelical church in Minsk, was sentenced to 10 days in jail.