Russian Priest-Pimp Is To Be Tried In Belarus

The case against the priest detained in Vitsebsk came to court.

The criminal case against a 39-year-old priest from Russia, who tried to take two Belarusians to Petersburg as "human slaves", was submitted to the Belarusian court.

"The criminal case against a 39-year-old citizen with no previous convictions under the Part 1 of the Article 14, the Part 2 of the Article 171 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (attempted organization and use of prostitution by others associated with export of persons from the state for the purpose of prostitution), was filed in the Chyhunachny district court of Vitsebsk," – interfax.ru learned in the Vitsebsk regional court on Thursday.

According to the law, the maximum penalty for this charge is ten years in prison. They noted that they will report the date of the court hearings later.

We remind, that in early August, the investigative committee of Belarus reported on the detention of a priest from Russia in Vitsebsk on the suspicion of trying to take two Belarusians to St. Petersburg as a "human commodity" for prostitution. He failed to bring his intent to the end, since he was detained at the Vitsebsk bus station while boarding the bus heading to St. Petersburg.

During the investigation of the criminal case, the IC found out that the Russian was involved in the recruitment of "human commodity" in Homel. So, at the beginning of this year he had Internet correspondence with girls from Belarus. Having received consent to prostitution of 25-year-old and 29-year-old women, the Russian sent his accomplice to Homel – a 19-year-old Tajik woman who was supposed to send the Belarusian women to the "place of employment" in Russia.