Kiryl Hniazdzilau
Prisoner
Date of birth: 17 July 1983
Date of detention: 19 February 2023
Charges indicted:
- Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
- Art. 179 of the Criminal Code — Illegal collection and dissemination of information about private life
Sentence: 8 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Judge: Andrei Leshchanka
Prison: Penal colony No. 3
Notes: Detention upon return to Belarus
Groups: IT specialists, Law enforcement officers
Cases: The Black Book of Belarus case
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Kiryl Hniazdzilau had been a police officer since 2007. In August 2020, he quit his job and started working in the IT sector. When he returned from Poland to visit his wife and children, Kiryl was detained at the border. For the past six months, the man had been living in the neighboring country.
The trial was held in a closed court session. The case was considered during six court sessions. It is known that the case is connected with Black Book of Belarus.
On August 3, 2023, the Brest Regional Court convicted Kiryl under Part 6 of Article 16 and Part 1 of Article 130 (incitement to hatred), Part 1 of Article 179 (illegal collection and dissemination of information about private life) of the Criminal Code. Judge Andrei Leshchanka sentenced Kiryl to eight years of imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony. Kiryl was ordered to pay compensation for moral damage to two victims (2,000 and 1,000 Belarusian rubles, respectively). The former policeman was also stripped of his captain's rank.
