Wrocław Court of Appeal Reduces Sentences for Death of Dmytro N. in Sobering-Up Center

On Friday, February 20, 2026, a final ruling was issued in the high-profile tragedy at the Wrocław Center for Assistance to Intoxicated Persons. The Wrocław Court of Appeal modified the first-instance court's verdict, imposing significantly lighter suspended sentences on the defendants. Three former police officers and a doctor received sentences of one year in prison suspended for two years, while the remaining defendants were sentenced to three to six months of imprisonment, also suspended. Two female employees of the center were acquitted by the court. The judges argued that the degree of the defendants' guilt did not justify the severe penalties previously imposed by the District Court. The court found that while there was gross misuse of force and inadequate coercive measures, the defendants' actions did not constitute mistreatment but were the result of involuntary manslaughter. According to the judicial panel, the original sentences exceeded the degree of the perpetrators' guilt. The institution of sobering-up centers in Poland has for years sparked controversy related to human rights compliance and medical care standards for intoxicated individuals.„The violence was excessive, but it was merely and precisely a gross abuse of authority. The penalty cannot exceed the degree of guilt, and the first-instance sentences exceeded that degree.” — Court of Appeal Judge The story of Dmytro N. shocked public opinion in 2021. Surveillance footage from the sobering-up center recorded brutal treatment of the man, including beating with a baton, sitting on him, and pressing down, which led to his death. Initially, the prosecution and the lower court assessed these actions much more severely. The current judgment closes the domestic judicial path, though it raises numerous comments regarding the adequacy of the penalty relative to the outcome, which was the loss of a young man's life.9 osób — sat on the defendants' bench in the appeal trialChange in Penalty Severity Across Two Instances: Highest penalty (police officers): 5 years of unconditional imprisonment → 1 year (suspended for 2 years); Penalty for the doctor: 3 years of imprisonment → 1 year (suspended for 2 years); Nature of the act: Mistreatment and involuntary manslaughter → Gross abuse of authority