- Artur Pawlowski, 49, was jailed for 51 days for speaking to Canadian Freedom Convoy at the U.S.-Canada border in Coutts, Alberta in February
- The Polish-Canadian pastor, who fled communism during the 80s, was arrested on February 7, 2022, for the fifth time since the beginning of the pandemic
- Pawlowski was taken to Calgary Remand Centre, where he alleges he was treated poorly, according to an interview with Canadian outlet Rebel News Court
- He claimed to have been placed in a small metal cage, not given water for a whole day, and deprived of both his glasses and a Bible
- Pawlowski also said he was strip-searched repeatedly, spent many hours in solitary confinement and was made to sleep on cold concrete
- Pawlowski was transferred to the the psychiatric ward at Edmonton Remand Centre, for a brief time
- He says that while there he shared a cell with a paranoid schizophrenic who told him he had killed his own brother with a machete
- The truckers were protesting a Canadian mandate that forces truckers crossing the border with the U.S. to be vaccinated
- Pawlowski made headlines in April 2021 during an Easter service, when he threw armed police out of his sanctuary when they checked for COVID-19 compliance
- Pawlowski was was required to pay a $25,000 bail and a $10,000 surety from his wife, as well as $2,000 from his son
By ANDREA CAVALLIER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:39 EDT, 10 April 2022
A pastor who fled communism has detailed the abuse he said he suffered while jailed for 51 days for preaching to the Canadian Freedom Convoy.
Artur Pawlowski, 49, told Fox News that he’d been kept in a metal cage, made to sleep on a concrete floor, deprived of his Bible and forced to endure repeated strip searches during his time at the grim Calgary Remand Centre.
He also claims there was a price on his head, and alleges that the door to his cell would be left open after members of the Canadian government tried to have him attacked.
Pawlowski, who made headlines for defying COVID-19 restrictions last year by holding church services, has been arrested five times since the beginning of the pandemic.
Pastor Artur Pawlowski, a Polish-Canadian pastor who was jailed for 51 days after addressing truckers along the U.S.-Canada border in Coutts, Alberta, alleges mistreatment in prison
He was released earlier this month following his most recent arrest on February 7 just days after he spoke to the trucker convoy at the U.S.-Canada border in Coutts, Alberta.
His speech was at the height of the protests against a Canadian mandate that forces truckers crossing the border with the U.S. to be vaccinated.
Pawlowski urged them to ‘hold the line’ against government overreach without resorting to violence – and advised them from traveling to Edmonton, fearing a government crackdown like what happened in Ottawa.
Pawlowski was arrested at his home a few days later and taken to Calgary Remand Centre, where the pastor alleges he was mistreated.
In a video interview, Pawlowski broke down as he told Rebel News that he was placed for a time in a small metal cage, not given water for a whole day, and deprived of both his glasses and a Bible for several days.
He also claimed that he was strip-searched repeatedly, spent hours in solitary confinement and forced to sleep on cold concrete. ‘They were punishing the entire prison because of me,’ he said. ‘And then they paraded me in front of the inmates, saying, ‘That’s the guy. You’re being punished because of him. So if you have a chance to do something, that’s the villain, that’s the guy.”’And I think that was the scariest time,’ he added.
His speech was at the height of the protests against a Canadian mandate that forces truckers crossing the border with the U.S. to be vaccinated
Pawlowski was arrested at his home a few days after he spoke to truckers and taken to Calgary Remand Centre, where the pastor alleges he was mistreated