The Belarus government recently arrested Vyacheslav Goncharenko, the pastor of a New Life Church, a large evangelical church in the country’s capital city, Minsk, Evangelical Focus reports.

Goncharenko has been in the government’s sights since he supported the pro-democracy protests in the country in 2020 opposing what many described as fraudulent elections that saw the country’s current dictator, President Alexander Lukashenko, re-elected.

After initially banning members of the New Life congregation from using the church building in February 2021, the government bulldozed New Life’s building in June 2023.

The government has also taken down the church’s website.

The church and its leadership are now facing a trial that will commence on August 23, 2023, for publishing what the government considers to be ‘extremist material.’

This includes two posts on the church’s website, one in August 2020 that stated, “As Christians, we condemn the recent violence and cruelty and appeal to the authorities to repent.” In a second article, posted in November of that same year, the church expressed its opposition to the government’s violent attacks on peaceful protestors questioning the fraudulent election.

With a population of 9.2 million, Belarus is bordered by Russia to the North, Ukraine to the South, and Poland to the west.

READ: After bulldozing the church and closing its website, Belarus jails pastor of Minsk Pentecostal church

Pastor of New Life Full Gospel Church Viachaslau Hancharenka was today detained together with his son-in-law Illia Budai. 20 armed policemen broke into his house, searched and detained them.
For Belarus it’s already a daily routine, when priests and pastors are arrested. pic.twitter.com/WuDkrPrmhL

— Christian Vision for Belarus (@ch_vision_by) August 14, 2023