He openly called Russian soldiers occupiers, and the Russian government — fascist. An MTBank employee was thrown behind bars

Aliaksandr Semihlazau is from Minsk. The man received his education at BNTU (Belarusian National Technical University) in the mechanical engineering faculty, specializing in machines and metal forming technology. His last known place of work was the procurement department of MTBank.

Outside of work, Aliaksandr's main passion was hockey. On Telegram, the man was subscribed to dozens of fan communities of various KHL clubs, where he regularly discussed matches, statistics, and the play of hockey players. Semihlazau himself was a fan of Minsk "Dinamo". In the comments, he often ironized his opponents, but emphasized that he was against insults based on nationality and that brotherhood and respect prevailed in Belarusian chats.

In addition to sports, the man spent a lot of time in political discussions.

He consistently and very emotionally criticized Russian aggression against Ukraine, exposed propaganda, and vehemently argued with supporters of the war. He openly called Russian soldiers occupiers, and the Russian government — fascist.

It was for his activity on the internet and sharp comments that the man became a victim of persecution.

Aliaksandr was convicted in the Minsk City Court under Part 1 of Art. 130 of the Criminal Code ("inciting hatred or enmity"). The sentence, as is often the case in political affairs now, is unknown.

Judging by the fact that the man did not appear online after the verdict, he is now behind bars.

Mass political repressions in the country began after 2020. Then Aliaksandr Lukashenka lost to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, but did not hand over power to her, forcing her to leave the country. Mass popular protests against the dictatorship and election fraud took place. The authorities responded with repression.

According to the calculations of the "Belpol" law enforcement association and human rights defenders, the names of at least 10,050 people who were subjected to politically motivated criminal cases are known. In total, these or other political repressions (criminal cases, administrative cases, dismissals, searches, forced emigration) have affected hundreds of thousands of Belarusians.

The Belarusian authorities consider "extremism" to be the demand for free elections with transparent vote counting, as well as virtually any criticism of the authorities, pro-Russian historical narratives, manifestations of solidarity with Ukraine, and anti-war speeches.

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