The ex-head of the media pool of President Lukashenko was jailed for three years for criticizing the security forces

According to Interfax, with reference to the data of the BelTA agency, Dmitry Semchenko was convicted by the Minsk City Court.

Semchenko, who after leaving the presidential pool worked for the ONT TV channel, was found guilty of deliberate actions aimed at inciting social hostility and discord on the basis of other social affiliation (part 1 of Article 130 of the Criminal Code of Belarus).

He was charged with the fact that over the past three years he has posted publications on social networks three times that irritated the security forces. The investigators stated that the purpose of the messages was "to form a negative attitude in society towards law enforcement agencies, military personnel, as well as representatives of state authorities in general who advocate the preservation of the current constitutional order of Belarus".

Semchenko's posts in social networks were read by hundreds of subscribers. Semchenko pleaded guilty to posting materials, but explained that he had never called for violence. After the start of the harsh crackdown on protesters in 2020 , Semchenko resigned from The national television of Belarus as a sign of disagreement with the harsh actions of the security forces in relation to the protesters.