human rights defender
HRD's year of birth
1977
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Journalist/Blogger
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
Current Status
Pardoned
HRD's bio and work
Kiryl Pazniak, a journalist, was detained on September 4, 2025, the same day the YouTube channel “Platforma 375” was officially designated an “extremist formation.”
Detained since
Sep 4, 2025
Date of release
Sep 16, 2026
Sentence
Kiryl was detained on September 4, 2025, the same day the YouTube channel “Platforma 375” was officially designated an “extremist formation.”
From 2021 to 2022, the channel hosted a series of debates between pro-government propagandists and opposition figures in exile. Kiryl Pazniak was one of the moderators of these debates.
Latitude: 53.800288
Longitude: 27.602851
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Europe: Eastern Europe
Location of detention - City/Town
v. Pashkovichy
Location of detention - Facility
Pre-trial detention center No. 1. 223016, Navadvorski selsavet, 143/4, v. Pashkovichy, Minsk rajon, Minsk voblast
Recent case update / evolution
On June 26, 2026, the Minsk City Court handed down sentences to Kiryl and his daughter Yanina. The journalist was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. It is not yet known how long his daughter will be required to serve behind bars. The prosecution had requested prison terms of three and a half years for the father and three years for the daughter, respectively.
On 16 September 2026, he was released as a result of negotiations between U.S. Special Envoy John Coale and the Lukashenka regime, along with 24 other political prisoners, and forcibly transferred to Lithuania.
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