Dzmitryi Semchanka, a journalist and a TV presenter, worked in the presidential press corps at the ANT (All-National Television) state-owned TV channel. In August 2020, Semchanka resigned in protest against the violent crackdown on the peaceful demonstrations.

In September 2020, Semchanka was convicted for participating in the protest march on August 16, 2020, and sentenced to 15 days of administrative imprisonment. After his resignation from the state-owned TV channel, Dzmitryi Semchanka worked in the PR sphere and was an employee of the Belagro company.

On September 15, 2022, Dzmitryi Semchanka was arrested together with his wife and sentenced to 15 days of administrative imprisonment under Article 19.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses ('Petty hooliganism'). After the administrative imprisonment, Semchanka was not released and was sentenced to 13 more days of administrative imprisonment under Article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offenses for spreading "extremist materials" in his social networks.

When Dzmitryi Semchanka was not released on October 13, 2022, it became known that a criminal case was opened against him under Part 1 of Article 130 of the Criminal Code ('Inciting other social enmity').

In early December 2022, the political prisoner was transferred from remand prison #1 in Minsk to remand prison #8 in Žodzina.

On March 21, 2023, the Minsk City Court began the trial of Semchanka's case. The State Prosecution requested three years of imprisonment in a general-security penal colony—on March 23, Judge Yauhen Pisarevich sentenced Semchanka to that very punishment.

Journalists Semchanka and Mazheika sentenced to 3 years in prison for inciting enmity

On March 23, in separate hearings, Minsk Municipal Court sentenced Dzmitry Semchanka, a former All-national TV anchor, and Komsomolskaya Pravda correspondent Henadz Mazheika to three years in prison for "inciting enmity" against public officials.