The Court of Appeal in Wrocław has issued a final verdict in the tragic death of 25-year-old Ukrainian citizen Dmytro Nikiforenko. The court decided to significantly reduce the penalties imposed by the first instance, converting unconditional imprisonment into suspended sentences. Seven defendants, including police officers and a doctor, received sentences ranging from three months to one year in prison. According to the court, the degree of the defendants' guilt did not justify the previously imposed severe penalties.

Drastic Reduction of Penalties

The Court of Appeal changed unconditional imprisonment sentences to penalties from 3 months to 1 year suspended for 2 years.

Verdict is Final

The ruling from 20 February 2026 definitively concludes proceedings before Polish common courts in the case of the death of Dmytro Nikiforenko.

Qualification of the Act

The court classified the defendants' actions as gross abuse of authority, rejecting the charge of intentional abuse of the detainee.

Acquittal of Some Staff

Two female employees of the sobering-up station, who were previously covered by the indictment, were fully acquitted of the charges.

On Friday, 20 February 2026, a final verdict was reached in the high-profile case of the death of Dmytro Nikiforenko, who died in July 2021 at the Wrocław Center for Assistance to Intoxicated Persons sobering-up station. The Court of Appeal in Wrocław overturned the decision of the first instance court, which in June 2024 sentenced the defendants to prison terms ranging from 1.5 to 5 years. The current ruling provides for penalties from 3 months to 1 year of imprisonment, with the execution of all sentences conditionally suspended for a period of 2 years. The highest penalty—one year of suspended imprisonment—was given to three former police officers and the doctor on duty at the center at the time. Two female employees of the station were fully acquitted. The reporting judge justified that although the violence used against the 25-year-old was excessive, the defendants' actions should be classified as gross abuse of authority and involuntary manslaughter, rather than intentional abuse. The court found that the previous sentences were too harsh and exceeded the degree of the perpetrators' guilt. Recall that the tragedy occurred after direct coercive measures were applied to the man for several dozen minutes. „The penalty cannot exceed the degree of guilt, and the first instance penalties exceed that degree.” — Judge of the Court of Appeal Standards for the treatment of detainees in Polish sobering-up stations are monitored by the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture, operating under the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights since 2008. The verdict concludes a multi-year trial that sparked significant public and diplomatic emotions. The defense argued that the defendants acted under conditions of strong resistance from the intoxicated man, while the auxiliary prosecutors emphasized the brutality of the intervention, which led to the asphyxiation of the detainee. The Court of Appeal, while upholding the defendants' guilt for involuntary manslaughter, found that suspended sentence is sufficient and fair in this case in light of the gathered evidence. Change in Sentences in Dmytro N. Case: Highest penalty (police officers): 5 years of unconditional imprisonment → 1 year suspended; Penalty for the doctor: 3 years of unconditional imprisonment → 1 year suspended; Nature of the act: Abuse and battery → Gross abuse of authority

Mentioned People

  • Dmytro Nikiforenko — 25-year-old Ukrainian citizen who died after an intervention at a sobering-up station in 2021.