The State Security Committee of Belarus (KGB) has announced that opposition chats created to coordinate protests after the 2020 elections are considered extremist. Citizens now face up to 10 years in prison for participating in such online communities. The authorities believe that these resources pose a threat to national security, according to HackYourMom.
Human rights activists condemned the new measures as another step by the Lukashenka regime to suppress dissent and gain full control over the information space. Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, an opposition candidate in the 2020 elections, said that there are still more than 1,300 political prisoners in the country, many of whom are in critical condition. She noted that Belarusians try to protect their digital freedom by using two phones, VPNs or temporary devices to access independent news.
After the mass protests of 2020, the Belarusian authorities tightened restrictions on the digital rights of citizens, recognizing independent media and online communities as extremist. Supporting alternative sources of information can cost citizens up to six years in prison. The new wave of arrests of participants in so-called “neighborhood” chats indicates a tightening of control in the run-up to the elections, as Lukashenka seeks to extend his rule amid a brutal crackdown on political and civil dissent.
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