Minsk 10:42

Supreme Court upholds A1 spokesman’s conviction

January 20, BPN. The Supreme Court says it has upheld the conviction of Mikałaj Bredzieleŭ, spokesman for the Austria-owned A1 telecommunications company.

The Minsk City Court’s decision has come into effect. On October 24, it sentenced the man to four years in prison for allegely funding an extremist group and abusing power.

Investigators initially accused Bredzieleŭ of sharing information related to his professional activities with opposition blogger Anton Matolka, whom authorities blacklisted as a terrorist. Matolka fled Belarus in July 2020, fearing persecution.

A1 management denied that Bredzieleŭ had access to the clients’ databases.

In late December 2021, Alaksandr Łukašenka cited Bredzieleŭ’s case as proof that opponents were trying to “infiltrate the state apparatus.”

Bredzieleŭ was arrested in December 2021. Pro-government Telegram channels ran a video of his interrogation, during which he was forced to disclose his salary and his sexual orientation. The Austrian management of A1 and the Austrian Embassy in Belarus condemned the disclosure of information related to his private life.

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