Pastor Artur Pawlowski of the Fortress (Cave) of Adullam Church in Alberta, Canada, was arrested in early May for the "crime" of conducting a church service in violation of the Canadian COVID lockdown. He's reportedly facing up to four years in jail for his offense.
For context, in early May, Pastor Artur Pawlowski was detained and charged with arranging an "illegal in-person gathering" and for "requesting, inciting, or inviting others" to attend the meeting.
Prior to that, a video of the pastor went viral when police officials stormed his Alberta church during a Passover celebration, and Pastor Pawlowski railed at the authorities until they withdrew.
When questioned about his outburst, Pastor Pawlowski explained that he had seen comparable persecution of Christians in the past.
"I grew up in Poland under the boot of the Soviets, behind the Iron Curtain," Pawlowski told the Daily Caller. "What I see right now, I see everything escalating and moving to the new level. They're acting just like the Communists were acting when I was growing up when the pastors and the priests were arrested, and some were murdered. Many were tortured."
He also spoke with media outlets in the United States, such as the Daily Wire, to warn them that Christians in the nation are also in danger of persecution.
"I grew up under communism, socialism, under the boots of the Soviets in a country where you had absolutely no freedoms," he said. "No freedom of speech, no freedom of religion, no freedom of association, no freedom of the press."
Pawlowski stated that merely dissenting from state power might result in one being tortured, imprisoned, assaulted, and sentenced to years in prison.
"In Poland, if you listened to another source of information that was coming outside of the communist-approved mainstream media, you could go to prison for five years. If you were caught possessing a pamphlet that was not approved by the government, you could go to jail for a year or two," he elaborated.
Canadian court's verdict on the pastor
In June, a court ruled Pawlowski guilty of contempt, and he still faces four years in prison for orchestrating, encouraging or urging people to join an unlawful assembly, as well as for promoting and participating in the gathering.
Pawlowski expressed his disappointment with the court's decision in an exclusive interview with Rebel News. A fund-raising campaign for the pastor's legal defense is also being run by the outlet.
He also said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and cabinet members should be held in contempt of court for breaching COVID-19 lockdown regulations by covertly feasting on top of the Federal Building.
Following up on his previous claims, Pawlowski said in an interview with The Christian Post that authorities are targeting Christian pastors for lockdown breaches while leaving mosques untouched.
Josh Hawley, a Republican senator from Missouri, has spoken out against the persecution.
"Frankly, I would expect this sort of religious crackdown in Communist China, not in a prominent Western nation like Canada. Canadian authorities' arrest of faith leaders and seizure of church property, among other enforcement actions, appear to constitute systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom," remarked the senator.
Hawley also mentioned a "heartbreaking video" showing Pastor Stephens' children crying while holding their father's hand when he was arrested.
The Senator underscored that Pastor Stephens' alleged crime was for holding an "outdoor worship service" in a park that was spotted by a police helicopter flying above.
