Dzmitryi Kakhanouski
Beltelecom employee; sentenced to 6 1/2 years of imprisonment in penal colony
Date of birth: 15 April 1991
Date of detention: 28 October 2021
Charges indicted:
Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
Art. 352 of the Criminal Code — Illegal acquisition of computer information
Art. 203-1 of the Criminal Code — Illegal actions with respect to information about private life and personal data
Sentence: 6 1/2 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Judge: Yauhen Burunou
Prison: Penal colony No. 1
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Dzmitry Kakhanouski is from Mahilioŭ. He is an employee of the Beltelecom government-owned telecommunications company. He was arrested at his work place on October 28, 2021.
According to the indictment, he allegedly obtained personal data of law enforcers, civil servants, and judges from the database. The investigation claims that there were 46 such episodes. It is known that he was charged under Art. 130 of the Criminal Code ('Incitement of social hatred and enmity').
Kakhanouski was placed in pre-trial detention center #1 in Minsk. In early November 2022, he was transferred to pre-trial detention center #2 in Viciebsk.
On November 21, 2022, the Viciebsk Regional Court began hearing the case in a closed court session. During the investigation, Kakhanouski was charged according to Part 3 of Art. 352 ('Illegal possession of computer information'), Part 1 of Art. 130 ('Inciting racial, national, religious or other social hatred and enmity'), and Part 3 of Art. 203-1 ('Illegal actions regarding privacy information and personal data') of the Criminal Code. The judge Yauhen Burunou found Kakhanouski guilty and sentenced him to six and a half years of imprisonment in a penal colony.
On January 3, 2023, the KGB included the political prisoner in the 'List of persons involved in terrorist activities'.
In early January 2023, Kakhanouski was transported to penal colony #1 in Navapolack.
