Alexander Matiyevich, a major in the Belarusian militia who took part in the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 2020, enjoys peace in Lithuania. The Belarusian who beat protesters in Lida now works in a window installation company near Vilnius.
“Yes, he works for my company,” Jurijus Radiunas, the head of the Vilnius-based window installation company Europos Saugumo Garantas, confirmed to LRT RADIO.
The information that Matiyevich had fled to Lithuania was published by Belpol, an organisation of former Belarusian officials. It received this information from the Belarusian diaspora in Lithuania.
Matiyevich’s defection to Lithuania has come to light thanks to the trial in Lida.
“He was there as a victim, hit by one of the protesters, a young and fragile girl,” Matvey Kupreychik, a representative of Belpol, told LRT RADIO.
The protests in Lida were suppressed, and the protesters were put on trial. Matiyevich was summoned to one of them as a victim.
It turned out that the protester had resisted two officers during the rally. The official investigation documents show that the girl grabbed Matiyevich’s uniform and “caused him physical pain and suffering”.
The girl in question is currently imprisoned and is considered a political prisoner by the Belarusian Human Rights Centre Viasna.
Window fitter in Vilnius
Matiyevich arrived in Lithuania with his wife more than a year ago and was granted a residence and work permit in the country.
The LRT RADIO has learnt that the former militia major now works as a window fitter at the Vilnius company Europos Saugumo Garantas.
The company’s head and sole shareholder Radiunas said that other Belarusians recommended Matiyevich. The employer trained the Belarusian man himself and has no complaints.
“A normal employee. He learned and works well. There is always a shortage of workers,” Radiunas said.
Matiyevich received a work permit in Lithuania before immigration restrictions on Belarusians were tightened. However, it is not clear how the former militia major passed through the filter of Lithuanian intelligence authorities.
Travels to Belarus
Radiunas said he had questions about the employee’s past.
“I know what happened in Belarus in 2020. I knew that he was a militiaman. That is why I asked him several times if he had participated in the crackdown. He assured me that he was not involved, so I believed him and hired him,” the employer explained.
The head of Europos Saugumo Garantas said he felt deceived: “If this information is confirmed, I will fire him. I wouldn’t have even spoken to him if I had known this.”
According to Radiunas, Matiyevich often travels between Lithuania and Belarus because he has the right to do so.
“The last time I spoke to him a week ago, he was in Belarus. I don’t control him. He goes back and forth freely,” he said.
The Lithuanian authorities have previously warned that some Belarusians who fled to Lithuania might continue cooperating with the Belarusian regime’s structures.
Leaked databases
Belpol, an organisation of former Belarusian officials, was contacted by Belarusians living in Lithuania who learned that a militia major lives here.
“We first received this information from the Belarusian community in Lithuania. They informed us that this man might have been involved in the crackdown on protests in Belarus in 2020. We checked this information using databases and found that this man, Alexander Matiyevich, was in fact a senior inspector and later a major in the Belarusian militia,” said Kupreychik, a representative of Belpol
“He was directly involved in the suppression of the protests, as he testified in a case against a protester, a girl, who is now a political prisoner,” he added.
The databases of Belarusian structures were stolen by the so-called Belarusian cyber-guerrillas as early as 2021. This is where the case file was found.
According to Belpol, they have provided the information to the Lithuanian authorities.
“We have passed all the information on to the Lithuanian authorities. We very much hope that a decision will be taken to deport this person,” Kupreychik said.
“We understand that the number of people fleeing the regime’s repression in Belarus is so large that it is impossible to check everyone. So, it is normal that such an incident occurred, but now, it is important to correct this mistake and restore justice,” he added.
Wouldn’t appeal deportation
Lithuania’s Migration Department announced on Thursday it was revoking Matsiyevich’s temporary residence permit.
“The individual does not meet the conditions for getting a temporary residence permit in the Republic of Lithuania,” the Interior Ministry told BNS.
LRT previously contacted the Belarusian militia major. He said that if he was deported, he would not appeal the decision. However, he did not want to talk about his past.
“They can deport me; it is their right. I will tell you that everyone has their own information. If they have that information, they use it. All I can say is that I will not share this information about my past with anyone, including journalists. And I will continue to go to Lithuania because they have not deported me yet. And if that happens, I won’t appeal the decision,” Matiyevich said.
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