Jailed Alberta Pastor Alleges Abuse In Prison But Remains Hopeful; Lawyer Condemns ‘Bizarre’ Detention
Pastor Artur Pawlowski, the Polish pastor who was arrested Saturday by Calgary Police in the middle of a busy highway on his way home from church, claimed he is being mistreated in prison but still remains “in good spirits.”
During a brief exclusive interview with Rebel News on Sunday (video below), Pawlowski recalled the arrest that allegedly left him injured.
As The Daily Wire reported, a large number of police pulled over Pawlowski and his brother, Dawid Pawlowski, to inform them that they were under arrest for allegedly violating Alberta’s Public Health Act by continuing to hold church services. Pawlowski also repeatedly ejected police and health officials from his church when they attempted to enter during worship.
After removing them from their car, officers placed the men on wet asphalt in the middle of a busy highway, handcuffed them, and dragged them into police vans.
“I was thrown like a piece of meat behind the police vehicle,” Pawlowski said.
“I had bruises all over my face, almost broke my shoulder,” he continued, explaining that he had to lay down on his handcuffed hands in the back of the van for at least an hour.
Recounting how he and his brother were taken to separate cells when they arrived at jail, Pawlowski alleged that they were not being afforded the basic amenities given even to neighboring inmates. “They’re not allowing us to sleep, so 24 hours I can’t sleep,” he said. “The lights are so bright, it’s absolutely crazy. Even though other inmates — for example, across from my cell — they turned the lights off so they could go to sleep. I don’t have that same courtesy. We do not have blankets, we don’t have pillows, nothing. We had to spend the whole day yesterday, and the whole night, and half a day right now on cold concrete.”
“I was never contacted by a lawyer,” Pawlowski said, apparently unaware that multiple calls from his legal counsel were reportedly refused by the jail until Rebel News published this interview.
“I’m being viewed here as a monkey in a circus,” Pawlowski continued, claiming that police will periodically come gawk at him as if he were “a trophy.”
“But I’m in good spirits, I’m not going to quit,” Pawlowski maintained. “They will not silence me. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing, because if I don’t have freedom, then I have nothing else. If we don’t have freedom to worship our God, then what else do we have?” He warned that if the freedom of religion is lost, then all the other rights of free societies will likewise crumble.
As soon as he is released, Pawlowski said, he plans to go after the civil authorities in court. “I want to start going after those villains. They’re villains. They’re wicked, evil people. What they’re doing is evil.”
Pawlowski went on to say he thinks he has become Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s political prisoner because Kenney knows the threat people such as Pawlowski pose to his corrupt, incompetent leadership.
Pawlowski’s lawyer, Sarah Miller of JSS Barristers, described Pawlowski’s detention as “quite bizarre,” telling Rebel News, “We can’t understand why he hasn’t been released yet. We can’t understand why it took them so long to get him in contact with his legal counsel.”
Despite his imprisonment, Pawlowski said he remains hopeful. “I want to tell you Jesus wins in the end, and when we stand with him, that’s where I draw my hope. My hope is in Christ. He redeemed me, he saved me. He changed the corrupted man into the man I am today, and I give him all the glory. And if you are depressed or suicidal or in a tough situation, remember that God has your back, and we know how the story ends.”
“Truth wins in the end,” he added before hanging up. “God bless you.”
The Calgary Police did not immediately respond to The Daily Wire’s request for comment regarding Pawlowski’s allegations of mistreatment.
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