The Belarusian KGB detained a resident of Brest in the southwest of the country for attempted espionage, according to a statement released on Monday by the KGB’s Center for Information and Public Relations.
“The employees of the Brest KGB together with the ‘Alfa’ group detained and jailed a 28-year-old Brest resident for trying to gather information on Belarusian citizens for foreign intelligence services,” the statement said.
The KGB’s investigative division opened a criminal case under Article 356-1 of the country’s Criminal Code for “establishing cooperation with a secret service, security agency, or intelligence agency of a foreign government on a confidential basis with no evidence of treason.” The maximum punishment is two years in jail.
An investigation is continuing in order to uncover other unlawful activity on the part of the detainee, the KGB said.
The office also reiterated that Belarusian legislation grants exemption from criminal liability to persons who have previously appealed to state security agencies to allow cooperation with foreign intelligence services.
