Dzmitry Semchanka

Affiliated media: ANT TV channel , Journalist

Incident date: September 16, 2025

Attack type:

• Forced emigration as a result of legal / economic pressure

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Minsk

Additional information:

It has become known that former political prisoner and journalist Dzmitry Semchanka has been forced to emigrate from Belarus with his family. After his release, he said he was “deprived of basic rights” because he had been placed on the lists of “extremists” and “terrorists”. As a result, he was unable to open a bank account, obtain insurance, get a SIM card, find work in his profession, and so on. Dzmitry Semchanka is a journalist and television presenter who previously worked in the “presidential pool” of the ANT television channel. He was convicted under Part 1 of Article 130 of the Criminal Code (incitement of social hostility) and sentenced to three years in a penal colony. In July 2025, he completed his sentence in full and was released.