Believer Tina Palynskaya, Roman Catholic Church (Polack, Belarus)

Tina Palynskaya, a Catholic believer and journalist from Belarus, has collaborated with several Christian publications.

On 5 June 2022, her home was searched in connection with a critical Facebook post she had written about Patriarch Kirill (Gundyaev). Her computer and phone were confiscated, and the content of her social media accounts was sent to the Investigative Committee for examination.

On 6 June 2022, in protest against the war, she attended a public meeting with Patriarch Kirill, wearing yellow and blue ribbons on her bag and camera. She was detained under Article 24.23 of the Belarusian Code of Administrative Offenses for unauthorized picketing. She was released after a report was filed. On 7 June 2022, a court fined Palynskaya 100 base units (equivalent to 3,200 Belarusian rubles or around 1,230 US dollars). Her camera was confiscated.

A court hearing regarding the deleted post about Patriarch Kirill was scheduled for 17 June 2022, but it was postponed as the case materials were sent back for revision. Eventually, the administrative case related to that post was dropped.

On 20 May 2025, a new phase of persecution began. Palynskaya and her 22-year-old daughter, Marharyta Rabinovich, were detained and taken into custody. The charges have not been officially disclosed. However, there is speculation that the case may be linked to the KGB’s decision to designate Professor Andrei Vardamatski’s “Belarusian Analytical Workshop” as an extremist formation. This organization had been conducting sociological surveys among Belarusian citizens, and reports indicate that searches and equipment seizures were carried out among individuals who had been surveyed. They are kept under custody in pre-trial detention centre No. 2 in Viciebsk.