Authorities in Belarus have refused to answer questions by rights group Forum 18 about two Christian religious freedom advocates sought for extradition to face unspecified criminal charges.
Russian independent news outlet Sota published entries from Russia’s Federal Wanted List online earlier this month, exposing Belarusian criminal cases – without stating the charges – against Protestant preacher Sergiy Melyanets and Orthodox theologian Natallia Vasilevich, co-founder of rights group Christian Vision.
Both advocates appeared on Russia’s Federal Wanted List at the request of Belarusian authorities, according to Forum 18. Neither activist received official notification of the criminal charges against them.
Forum 18 on Aug. 14 called contact numbers listed on the wanted list records, but unidentified officials refused to detail the charges or confirm whether investigators were actively handling the cases.
“Investigators refused to explain what criminal charges they face, why, and whether they are suspects or have had charges formally laid against them,” Forum 18 stated regarding its attempts to contact Belarusian authorities.
Sergei Gerasimenya, deputy plenipotentiary for religious and ethnic affairs, declined to answer questions from Forum 18.
Melyanets, a Minsk native, fled Belarus in 2024 after Minsk City Court police arrested him on March 19 of that year. Officers detained Melyanets when he attended court to offer prayerful support to journalist Igor Korney. Authorities charged Korney with “participating in an extremist formation” under Article 361-1 of the Belarusian Criminal Code for his affiliation with the banned Belarusian Association of Journalists.
“I went to court to support and pray for my brother in Christ, Igor,” Melyanets told human rights organization Viasna on April 24, 2024, after escaping Belarus. “I was worried about him. Although we didn’t know each other well, we had only met a couple of times, I knew he was a Catholic and that he was going through a hard time. I knew he was alone, and I wanted my presence to somehow cheer him up. I also wanted to find out what he was being accused of and tell his family about it.”
The same court sentenced Melyanets to 13 days of administrative detention, followed by an additional 12 days. Upon his release, he fled to Poland with his family.
Melyanets routinely supported opposition activists by attending court hearings and praying for them.
“After 2020, I asked myself: how can I help people who are in prison?” Melyanets told Christian Vision in an interview following his flight. “I could write letters; I wrote. I could deliver things; I delivered. But I also realized that I could do more. I started visiting courts so that people who were there because of repression could feel supported, see that people were praying for them, and know that others remembered them.”
Melyanets actively supported Minsk’s New Life Gospel Church when authorities forcibly evicted the congregation on Feb. 17, 2021. Bailiffs used an angle grinder to cut the door lock while 30 bailiffs, police officers, and Housing Repairs and Utilities Association officials executed the eviction.
“I am indignant,” Melyanets told Forum 18 at the time. “This is a hostile takeover of church property under the excuse of official papers.”
Melyanets prayed outside the Minsk District Police Detention Center in August 2023 alongside New Life Church’s pastor, the Rev. Vyacheslav Goncharenko, whom authorities held at the facility.
Melyanets stated that police initiated a case against him in January when officers interrogated his parents about his whereabouts and alleged connections to “extremist groups.”
“Questions focused mostly on me and my activities,” Melyanets said. “They want my family and me to live in fear. But I continue to do what my Christian conscience leads me to do.”
If authorities capture Melyanets or Vasilevich – or if either advocate enters countries friendly to Belarus, such as Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan – they face immediate arrest and extradition to Belarus while investigators conclude their cases.
Vasilevich moderates Christian Vision, an organization founded in 2020 to document violations of religious freedom. The KGB secret police later designated the group as “extremist.” Vasilevich fled Belarus in 2020.
Vitebsk Regional Police requested that Russian authorities add Vasilevich to Russia’s Federal Wanted List on April 13, following a criminal case launched by Belarusian police earlier that month. On March 27, the Russian Justice Ministry had designated the Christians Against War project, founded by Christian Vision members, as a “foreign agent.”
Vasilevich confirmed to Forum 18 that she received no official notification of charges or suspect status connected to the anti-war project.
“In principle, it’s not surprising,” Vasilevich posted to her Telegram channel on Aug. 13. “It was expected, and it doesn’t even really stir up any emotions.”
The Belarusian Interior Ministry formally added Christian Vision to its list of “extremist” organizations on April 8, 2025. On April 1, 2025, KGB secret police declared Christian Vision, its website, its social media channels, and key figures – including Vasilevich, group member Natallia Harkovich and co-founder Dzmitry Korneyenko – as “extremist.”
Orsha District Police raided the homes of three relatives of Korneyenko during the same month, taking DNA samples from two family members to assist in their search. Vitebsk Regional Police placed Korneyenko on a wanted list for “supporting extremist activity” in July 2024.
Belarusian courts, primarily in the Vitebsk and Grodno regions, blocked access to Christian Vision’s website throughout 2023 and 2024 while declaring its social media channels “extremist.”
