Belarus: Detained Polish monk recognized as political prisoner

Grzegorz Havel, a Polish Carmelite monk, was recognized as a political prisoner by human rights activists on September 24th. He was detained in Belarus and accused of espionage, this was reported by Christian Vision. Kamil Kłysiński, an analyst at the Warsaw Center for Eastern Studies, believes that the recent arrest was the “last straw” for Polish authorities and likely prompted the decision to close the border with Belarus. Kłysiński described the situation as “shocking” and drew comparisons to the time of Stalin's repressions, when monks and priests were accused of espionage.

As reported by RISU, Polish Catholic monk Grzegorz Havel was detained near Lepel in the Vitebsk region in early September. He was accused of allegedly receiving documents related to the “West-2025” training exercise. According to the KGB, he had an eight-page printout of the “Order on the Organization of Training and Participation in Joint Strategic Exercises ‘West-2025.’” A criminal case was filed against him under Article 358 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (Espionage).

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned the arrest of the monk in Belarus on espionage charges, calling it “absurd” and warning that Warsaw was prepared to take appropriate measures against the regime of self-proclaimed President Alexander Lukashenko. (Quelle: www.risu.ua, 24. September 2025)