Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed the release of two Catholic priests. Earlier today it became known that political prisoners Fr. Henrikh Okolotovich and Fr. Andzhey Yukhnevich had been freed.
“I welcome the release of Belarusian priests Fr. Henrikh Okolotovich and Fr. Andzhey Yukhnevich. My deepest gratitude goes to Pope Leo XIV and the Holy See for their principled support. Many other believers remain behind bars. Repression must end — no one should be punished for their faith,” Tsikhanouskaya wrote on X.
Update
A full statement by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has been published.
“I sincerely welcome the release of Belarusian priests Fr. Henrikh Okolotovich and Fr. Andzhey Yukhnevich. This is a very important step that restores hope to their families, parishioners, and all those who prayed for their freedom. Their release is a reminder that solidarity, international attention, and action matter.
I want to express my deep gratitude to Pope Leo and the Holy See for their steady, principled stance, for their moral support, and for their continued efforts to protect Belarusian priests and believers. We remember and greatly appreciate the Vatican’s public steps, including our participation in the farewell to Pope Francis, contacts with the Apostolic Nunciature in Vilnius, and other gestures of solidarity.
It is worth noting that persecution continues in many countries around the world, and political prisoners remain. The fact that the Vatican pays attention to Belarus has been made possible thanks to the continuous work of Belarusian civil society and democratic forces, as well as the efforts of believers and civic solidarity that draw international attention to human rights violations and the humanitarian crisis in our country.
At the same time, I emphasize that we maintain constant and systematic work with the Holy See — both publicly and through non-public diplomatic channels. The issue of releasing priests and all illegally imprisoned Belarusians is one of the key topics in our contacts. We raise it regularly at all levels of interaction with the Vatican.
But our work continues. Other believers and people of faith, who have become victims of repression, remain behind bars. We insist that all imprisoned believers be freed and that persecution of the Church and any denominations be brought to a complete halt. No one should be in prison for their faith, moral choice, or service to others.
I thank the Holy See for its spiritual and human leadership. We deeply value every initiative and every step that brings us closer to the day when Belarus will have no political prisoners — neither clergy nor lay people.
Belarus must be a country where faith is respected, not punished. Where priests serve the people, not meet them through prison bars. And it will become such a country.”