Дмитрий Шинвизе, фото: база «Паспорт», Белпол
Journalists from the German outlet Welt am Sonntag tracked down former employee of the Babruisk colony Dzmitry Shynvize, who obtained German citizenship and now lives in the city of Schwerin in Germany. They met with his wife, but Shynvize himself refused to engage.
Dzmitry Rudolfavich Shynvize worked as head of the operational-regime unit of Colony No. 2 in Babruisk, where he was known for harsh treatment of inmates, including political prisoners. In 2024, he left his position at the colony and moved to Germany under a repatriation programme for descendants of German colonists, which offers simplified access to German citizenship, media reports said.
Shynvize now lives with his wife in the city of Schwerin in Western Pomerania under the surname Schönwiese. Journalists visited the family’s home. His wife answered the door. After learning the reason for the visit, she called her husband. Dzmitry forbade her from giving journalists his phone number. He also did not respond to written questions.
When obtaining citizenship or at least asylum in Germany, Dzmitry Shynvize was required to certify in writing that he had never participated in torture and had not committed crimes against humanity.
The BELPOL initiative submitted information about Shynvize to Germany’s Federal Ministry of Justice. In December 2025, the ministry responded that the materials had been forwarded to the Federal Criminal Police Office.
The outlet attempted to obtain information about the progress of the case from the Federal Criminal Police Office, but it refused to provide details “for reasons of personal data protection” and did not confirm whether investigative actions are underway.
The Federal Administrative Office, responsible for procedures related to late resettlers, also declined to comment on issues concerning personal data. According to the outlet, when submitting his application, Shynvize provided documents “from which his activities were not clearly understood”. He also stated that he had been dismissed.