After 51 hellish days in jail, Street Church Pastor Artur Pawlowski has left the Calgary Remand Centre a “free” man. On March 30, appearing physically weak and broken but not bending, the pastor exited the prison, kissed his wife, Marzena Pawlowski, and embraced his son, Nathanial, who had been waiting hours outside the prison to take him home.
Pawlowski emerged from the jail around 12:30pm, having served months in solitary confinement amid horrific conditions. His freedom finally restored after a prolonged bail review process that lasted through most of the months of February and March.
Since his arrest on February 8, Pawlowski has been in and out of isolation, where he was restricted to a filthy cell he described as a “dog cage,” made of cold concrete and with no windows — conditions allegedly set up for Covid quarantine. He was refused a Bible, pen and paper, and reading glasses. He recalled “going crazy” being stuck in such inhumane conditions for 23 hours a day.
Finally granted bail on March 26 by Lethbridge Court of Queen’s Bench Madam Justice Gaylene Kendell, Pawlowski had numerous hurdles to clear in order to be physically released back to his family and into the community. The Pawlowskis expressed relief by the Judge Kendell’s decision, after previous bail requests were denied by Provincial Judge Erin Olsen, believing that finally some justice had been been served.
Artur’s son, Nathanial, responded to the ruling in an interview with Rebel News reporter Adam Soos, in which he suggested extreme conditions awaited Pastor Art upon his release. And though additional charges surfaced while he served time in jail, the family believes these charges are unfounded and “won’t stick.”
The Crimes of “Canada’s Most Persecuted”
Dubbed “Canada’s Most Persecuted Pastor,” Pawlowski’s most current charges stem from a February 3 speech he delivered at the Coutts border blockade, where protesters called for the lifting of all Covid mandates by the Justin Trudeau government.
Canadian Crown prosecutors Steven Johnston and Matt Dalidowicz have accused Pawlowski of making statements during that speech “that could easily be interpreted as counselling, and/or abetting the offence of mischief by preventing the free flow of goods and people across Canada’s international border with the United States.”
Additionally, Pastor Art is accused of showing “support for violent ideas and action” and participating in “criminal mischief under the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act,” according to official court documents from the Provincial Court of Alberta. Notably, Pawlowski is the first person to face a criminal charge under the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act, which became law in June 2020 in response to a pipeline dispute that ultimately wreaked havoc on the Canadian rail system.
Pawlowski, who grew up in Communist Poland behind the Iron Curtain, attended the Coutts gathering to pray with the men and women there, and to encourage them never to stop fighting for their civil liberties. (See below).
Days after the protest, on February 8, Pawlowski was taken into custody in his fifth SWAT-style arrest in less than two years. Prior arrests were for allegedly defying Alberta COVID-19 health orders. (See below)
On February 9, Alberta Provincial Judge Erin Olsen of Lethbridge County denied Pawlowski bail, stating he would “commit a criminal offence or interfere with the administration of justice.” Olsen went on to say that “the accused’s pattern of behavior speaks volumes about his willful commission of offences and/or violations of court and public health orders.”
Pawlowski’s attorney, Sarah Miller of JSS Barristers, has worked tirelessly to revoke the court’s refusal to grant bail. She commented to Rebel News’ Adam Soos that “this is a 49-year-old man who’s never had any criminal charges. [He] is expressing his point of view on a new and unprecedented situation. For him to express his support [against severe Covid restrictions] vehemently, the Crown says is problematic and … criminal; that’s yet to be seen. And for him to be incarcerated for now 50 days just seems so wrong.”
Paying the Price for Freedom
Even though he has been released on bail, Pawlowski remains a prisoner in his own home under strict house arrest. The New American requested court documents regarding Pawlowski’s bail conditions from Court of Queen’s Bench, the Superior Court of the Canadian province of Alberta, but has not received a response.
According to the Lethbridge Herald, Pawlowski’s house arrest stipulates that “he must keep the peace and behave himself, attend court when required, abide by court orders, report to a probation officer as required, reside at his southeast Calgary residence, and obey a curfew between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., except on Fridays when he attends Street Church.”
Moreover, wrote the paper, “while he can hold street church services during the week as usual, he is prohibited from attending protests. His wife and son are also sureties for his release, and are on the hook for $10,000 and $2,000 respectively should Pawlowski breach his bail conditions.”
As he left the Calgary jail on March 30, Pawlowski was forbidden to speak to supporters who waited for him outside. His wife, Marzena, told the crowd that he would be arrested immediately and returned to jail if he stopped to thank them for their support.
“This is so wrong what is happening in Canada and we can’t put up with this. We have to stand up for our country, for us, for our children, for our grandchildren,” said one Canadian, who attended one of the many protests held outside the prisons where Artur was held.
“I have become a prisoner in this country without any rights,” said another protester, who cannot travel to her native home outside of Canada because of the severe Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Artur’s Message to Supporters
From his home in Calgary after his release, Pawlowski addressed his supporters. “I am at home,” he said. “I am still in the middle of crazy legal fights. I am under house arrest, so if you still want to continue to help me in this journey, in this unbelievable crazy journey, in this fight against corruption, then please go to SaveArtur.com. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every one of you for supporting me and my family.”
We have been waiting for this for two months now, Pawlowski later told Rebel News reporter Adam Soos in an exclusive interview:
Being able to hug my wife and my children, and my father and my brother, and his wife… I am a family man. I love my family, and I love my congregants and people in general. To be able to be back with the loved ones it’s amazing and surreal…. I am still trying to process this. My body is here, but my brain is still in a cell, he said.
In every unit I was, there would be some, one, two, sometimes three guards that would take the time to come to me outside of other inmates to say, ‘we are praying for you,’ if they were Christians,” he said. “And if they were not Christians they would use language — that I will not repeat — against the government.
During much of the interview, Pawlowski delineated the terrible conditions for all prisoners in the two facilities where he was incarcerated. He spoke of the lack of food and ability to spend time outside their cells. Despite the lack of justice, he spent his time in prison being a pastor, ministering to the needs of the other inmates, true criminals who were responsive to his Bible studies and prayer circles when the guards allowed these events to occur. He also praised several of the prison guards who were grateful for his outspoken stance. While many guards were unkind, Pawlowski openly prayed for them, highlighting the few good men he encountered.
“In every unit I was, there would be some, one, two, sometimes three guards that would take the time to come to me outside of other inmates to say, ‘we are praying for you,’ if they were Christians,” he said. “And if they were not Christians they would use language — that I will not repeat — against the government,” he said.
Pawlowski became emotional when describing a friend who was “beaten by a guard a few weeks ago for nothing. Punched in the head. And do you know why? He says he likes me and he likes the prayers, and I’m not a bad guy. So in the middle of the night they took him and showed him that was unacceptable. He was placed in solitary for 14 days.”
Pawlowski concluded, “that’s the beast, oh sorry, I should say that’s the justice system.”
Disturbing videos of Pawlowski’s prior arrests went viral when he first refused to kneel to the tyrannical dictates of the Canadian government, gaining him respect and notoriety among freedom lovers around the world.
Over the span of two decades, Pawlowski has been detained more than a dozen times for “crimes” including feeding the homeless in a public park, defined by authorities as an “illegal gathering,” and keeping his church open despite state-imposed measures barring him from doing so owing to a fear of spreading Covid-19.
On April 20 at 7 p.m. MST, supporters of Pastor Pawlowski are invited to attend an exclusive online event via Zoom, hosted by the nonprofit group Firebrand Actions, where he will be sharing his story. Registration is required, but instead of paying a fee, people are asked to donate to Artur’s ministries and legal by visiting www.freepastorart.com and www.streetchurch.ca/.
“I will continue to stand up for our rights and do what’s right,” said Pawlowski in a recent video message to his supporters. “I will continue to fight against tyranny because so many people have died, bled for our rights and now it looks like they have used this ‘covid’ thing to deprive us from all those things that those people, those founding fathers have fought and bled and died for. We have to keep doing what God called us to do. So be strong, stand strong, have faith, don’t give in. Be blessed.”
