Political refugees from Belarus settle in Tulsa

Friday, March 11th 2005, 2:55 pm

By: News On 6

A family of refugees from Belarus is beginning a new life in Tulsa. With the help of the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program, the Volsyuk family came to Tulsa to escape religious persecution in their home country.

The US State Department approved their status as Baptist refugees because of the human rights conditions in Belarus. Over the next several weeks, the family of eight will get help settling into their new life in America.

Through an interpreter, they tell us they're thankful for the opportunity to come here. Victor Volsyuk: "The plan is to start a new life in America and be helpful to the American, to be good citizens. Him and his wife and his children and just start a new life.â€

The family members range in age from 15 to 50. Catholic Charities has been helping people in eastern Oklahoma since 1973