Hrodna Ideology Officer Sentenced In Politically Motivated Case

Reform.news Editorial Team · 14 November 2026, 15:32

https://reform.news/en/hrodna-ideology-officer-sentenced-in-politically-motivated-case/

A 34-year-old ideology officer from Hrodna, Pavel Kiziuk, has been sentenced to prison in a politically motivated criminal case in Belarus. Human rights defenders previously reported that he was on trial for “high treason,” but he was ultimately convicted under a different article, Nasha Niva reports.

According to a list published by the KGB of individuals allegedly involved in “terrorist activities,” Kiziuk was convicted under Article 361 of the Belarusian Criminal Code (calls for sanctions). The publication suggests that the charges may have been reclassified or revised during the investigation.

The exact sentence is unknown, but reports indicate that he was sentenced to a prison colony.

Pavel Kiziuk was detained on April 5, 2025. He is from the Hrodna district. In 2009, he graduated from Indura Secondary School, after which he enrolled in the combined-arms faculty of the Military Academy of Belarus. In 2013, he qualified in “Ideological Work in the Armed Forces.”

He served in the 74th Separate Communications Regiment of the Western Operational Command in Hrodna. By 2020 at the latest, Kiziuk held the rank of captain and served as deputy commander of a communications battalion for ideological work.

In 2022, he defended a master’s thesis in psychology at Hrodna State University. His research examined the relationship between the social and psychological adaptation of conscripts and their emotional intelligence.