BELARUS: KGB releases priest, but house arrest and treason investigation continue
ICC Note:
A Catholic priest in Belarus was suddenly released from prison to house arrest, though no one is certain why. Arrested under accusations of treason, which are denied by the priest and those who know him, he may face seven-fifteen years in prison if his case goes to trial.
 
By Olga Glace
12/9/2013 Belarus (Forum18)- After six months’ imprisonment – and six days after his 46th birthday – Catholic priest Fr Vladislav Lazar was suddenly released on 3 December from the KGB secret police detention centre in the Belarusian capital Minsk. The KGB has ordered that he live under house arrest and report daily to the police while the criminal investigation on treason charges continues. Official information in this case continues to be sparse and even Fr Lazar’s whereabouts are unknown, Forum 18 News Service notes.
 
Fr Lazar’s diocesan bishop, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of the Minsk-Mogilev diocese, has been interrogated by the KGB as a witness in the case “because when a priest is arrested on the basis of such charges, the archbishop is responsible for the priest”, fellow-Catholic priest Fr Yury Barok told Forum 18 on 28 November. He has known Fr Lazar since they trained together at seminary in the 1990s.
 
“The Archbishop is under pressure – I don’t know what he is expected to do, but believe me he is having very unpleasant moments,” Fr Barok added.
 
Is trial imminent?

Forum 18 was unable to find out why Fr Lazar was unexpectedly released from the KGB detention centre to be transferred to house arrest. Nor was it able to find out how far the investigation has reached and if any trial is likely soon. The duty officer at the KGB headquarters in Minsk refused to put Forum 18 through on 5 December to Konstantin Bychek, the KGB investigator who is leading the criminal investigation against Fr Lazar.
 
The head of the KGB press service, Artur Strekh, confirmed to Forum 18 from Minsk on 5 December that the criminal investigation into Fr Lazar is continuing, but refused to give any details.
 
The lawyer the family first engaged to defend Fr Lazar, Pyotr Vendlinsky, was placed under a gagging order (see F18News 9 September 2013 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1873).
 
The family has since dismissed Vendlinsky as they believed he had been ineffective, and appointed another lawyer, family friend and journalist Lyubov Lunyova told Forum 18 on 5 December. Acting spokesperson for the Belarusian Catholic Bishops’ Conference Fr Yury Sanko told Forum 18 on 5 December that he was unaware that the family had dispensed with Vendlinsky.
 
Treason charges:

According to a 12 September statement published on the Belarus Catholic Church’s website, the only source for the specific allegations, Fr Lazar is being investigated on allegations of violating Criminal Code Article 356, Part 1 (treason), which carries a punishment of 7 to 15 years’ imprisonment.
 
The case also cites Criminal Code Article 16, Part 6 which defines a “person who has assisted in the commission of the crime with advice, guidance, provision of information or tools and means of committing the crime” as “participation in a crime”.
 
Fr Lazar is accused of treasonably giving money and valuables to a person accused of spying – but no details are given of these allegations. The authorities have also not made public any evidence they may have to back their allegations (see F18News 15 October 2013 http://www.forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=1886).
 
Fr Lazar “insists on his innocence”, Fr Barok told Forum 18. “We all [Catholic priests] see it and understand. We are praying and are astonished by the absurdity of the situation and the insanity.” He said the criminal case is “difficult to explain logically”.
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