Alexander Lukashenko votes in the presidential election. Photograph: Natalia Fedosenko/Tass/Getty MINSK, BELARUS – AUGUST 11, 2020: Belarusian law enforcement officers guard a street during a protest against the results of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election. Mass protests erupted in major cities across Belarus in the evening of August 9. Natalia […]
Alexander Lukashenko votes in the presidential election. Photograph: Natalia Fedosenko/Tass/Getty
MINSK, BELARUS – AUGUST 11, 2020: Belarusian law enforcement officers guard a street during a protest against the results of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election. Mass protests erupted in major cities across Belarus in the evening of August 9. Natalia Fedosenko/TASS (Photo by Natalia FedosenkoTASS via Getty Images)
MINSK, BELARUS – AUGUST 10: Protestors gather at streets after the early election results in Minsk, Belarus on August 10, 2020. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko won a sixth term in office with over 80% of the vote, the country’s election commission said Monday. Officials maintain the results are valid, however, the opposition candidates protested the results, supported by thousands of people who took to the streets throughout the country. (Photo by Marina Serebryakova/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
MINSK, BELARUS – AUGUST 11, 2020: People hold up a Belarussian flag of 1991-1995 at the death site of a person killed in a clash with law enforcement officers during a protest against the results of the 2020 Belarusian presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission of Belarus, incumbent president Alexander Lukashenko gets 80.08% of the votes, with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya polling 10.09%. Following the announcement of the election results in the evening of 9 August, mass protests erupted in major cities across Belarus. Nataliya Fedosenko/TASS (Photo by Nataliya FedosenkoTASS via Getty Images)
A policeman guards an area against opposition supporters protesting the election results as protesters encounter aggressive police tactics in the capital of Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. Heavy police cordons blocking Minsk’s central squares and avenues didn’t discourage the demonstrators who again took to the streets chanting “Shame!” and “Long live Belarus!” Police moved quickly Tuesday to separate and disperse scattered groups of protesters in the capital, but new pockets of resistance kept mushrooming across downtown Minsk. (AP Photo)
A serviceman blocks an area during a rally of opposition supporters, who accuse strongman Alexander Lukashenko of falsifying the polls in the presidential election, in Minsk on August 11, 2020. (Photo by Sergei GAPON / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images)
Belarusian law enforcement officers detain men during a rally of opposition supporters following the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus August 10, 2020. The opposition rejected official election results handing President Alexander Lukashenko a landslide re-election victory. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
Belarusian opposition supporters attend a rally following the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus August 10, 2020. The opposition rejected official election results handing President Alexander Lukashenko a landslide re-election victory. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
A man talks with riot police officers as they block a part of a street in the capital of Minsk, Belarus, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. Heavy police cordons blocking Minsk’s central squares and avenues didn’t discourage demonstrators who again took to the streets chanting “Shame!” and “Long live Belarus!” as police moved quickly Tuesday to separate and disperse scattered groups of protesters in the capital, but new pockets of resistance kept mushrooming across downtown Minsk. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
People attend a rally following the presidential election in Minsk, Belarus August 10, 2020. The opposition rejected official election results handing President Alexander Lukashenko a landslide re-election victory. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
10/10 SLIDES
As he fights for his political survival, Alexander Lukashenko has taken a big gamble by cutting off the internet across most of Belarus.
Belarusians seeking to protest against his government have been mostly cut off from the outside world: mobile internet has been throttled and popular messaging apps have been disabled, leaving demonstrators scrambling to find wifi connections and working VPNs or proxies to get online and then sharing what news they can find.
The internet blackout, which Lukashenko hopes will disrupt the protests against him for mass vote-rigging in last week’s presidential elections, is a rare example in modern Europe of a country voluntarily knocking itself offline to stifle dissent.
The lack of internet has left protesters in an information vacuum. Popular independent news sites, including Tut.By and Naviny, have been kept largely offline since election day and television news is dominated by the government.
“This long-lasting internet blockage is unprecedented,” said Katsiaryna Shmatina, a political analyst at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, noting that the internet was being blocked for longer and more aggressively than at protests in previous years. On Tuesday, there were unconfirmed rumours that the country could cut phone and internet traffic entirely.
With people unable to reach one another, protests have largely relied on popular bloggers on Telegram channels, some anonymous and located outside the country, who suggest meeting points for demonstrations and share videos of protests and breaking news, some of it unverified, that manages to filter through the blockade.
The largest is Nexta, which has more than 1,151,000 subscribers, and has been a key clearing house for videos from this week’s protests and for instructions to protesters. On Tuesday evening, it told its readers to meet at 7pm in small groups of less than 20 and to occupy the streets. “Paralyse the city!”
Related Slideshow: News in Pictures (Provided by Photo Services)
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A Shia Muslim worshipper prays while visiting the shrine of Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Imam Hussein amid commemorations of his martyrdom during Muharram in Karbala, Iraq, on Aug. 28, 2020.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrives for a photo at the European Union foreign ministers’ meeting in Berlin, Germany, on Aug. 28, 2020.
Party members help Ivorian former Education Minister Albert Toikeusse Mabri sit down during his investiture ceremony as Union for Democracy and Peace in Côte d’Ivoire (UDPCI) party candidate for the upcoming presidential elections in October, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Aug. 28, 2020.
People attend an opposition demonstration to protest against presidential election results, in front of the Church of Saints Simon and Helena, at the Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 28, 2020.
A kid wearing a protective face shield rides a bicycle in front of a closed high school in Yangon, Myanmar, on Aug. 28, 2020.
A Shia Muslim attends a Muharram mourning ceremony in Tehran, Iran, on Aug. 28, 2020.
A woman is seen visiting the Central Shaheed Minar amid the coronavirus pandemic in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 28, 2020.
Officers and rescue teams remove the debris of a helicopter that crashed in Lagos, Nigeria, on Aug. 28, 2020. Two people were killed in the crash while another was injured.
Muslim worshippers arrive at the courtyard of the historic al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, Egypt, to perform the Friday prayers under new pandemic restrictions on Aug. 28, 2020. Egypt allowed Friday prayers to resume in major mosques under strict preventive measures, including mandatory masks for all worshipers, enforcement of social distancing, use of personal prayer rugs and reduced sermon time at only 10 minutes.
Syrians gather for an anti-Assad demonstration by the ruins of a building that was hit in an earlier bombardment and adorned with a giant flag of the Syrian opposition, in Ariha, Syria, on Aug. 28, 2020.
Relatives hold portraits of servicemen, killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, during a rally to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Battle of Ilovaisk, ahead of the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine, in front of the Russian embassy in Kiev, Ukraine, on Aug. 28, 2020.
Nepalese women carrying vegetables walk along a deserted street during lockdown imposed by the government amid concerns over the rising spread of coronavirus disease, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Aug. 28, 2020.
A man sells birch twig whisks for sauna next to the Question Project performance by Chilean collective MIL M2 during international festival of contemporary theater Homo Novus in Riga, Latvia, on Aug. 28, 2020. The sign reads “When will everyone start smiling?”
Rio de Janeiro Governor Wilson Witzel speaks to the media at Palácio Laranjeiras in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 28, 2020.
People sit atop a bus roof while others wade through the flooded road during monsoon rain in Karachi, Pakistan, on Aug. 27, 2020.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay visits Lady Cochrane Palace, which was damaged due to the massive explosion at Beirut’s port area, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Aug. 27, 2020.
A man throws a stone at a police vehicle during a protest against the police for the death of a teenage boy, in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 27, 2020.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (L) visits a western coastal area in South Hwanghae province, North Korea, where Typhoon Bavi made landfall on Aug. 27, 2020. The photo was provided on Aug. 28, by the North Korean government.
Horse riders holding Malaysian flag take part in a rehearsal for the Independence Day event, in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Aug. 28, 2020.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Transport Minister Yevgeny Ditrikh, meets with road workers during a ceremony to launch traffic on the Tavrida federal highway, which connects Kerch and Sevastopol, in Crimea, on Aug. 27, 2020.
Smoke rises following an Israeli air strike in Gaza Strip, on Aug. 28, 2020.
A woman reacts in front of a riot police blockade during a protest at the Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 27, 2020. Police in Belarus have dispersed protesters who gathered on the capital’s central square, detaining dozens.
People watch the broadcast of a news conference of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Japan, on Aug. 28, 2020. Abe announced resignation over health problems.
A pharmacist prepares a COVID-19 vaccine to be injected to a volunteer at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC) in Manama, Bahrain, on Aug. 27, 2020.
Pascal Affi N’Guessan (C) of the Ivorian Popular Front party, accompanied by his wife Angeline Kili, speaks to the media after presenting his candidacy at the election commission in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Aug. 27, 2020.
A man pushes his bicycle as he comes out from a closed entrance of a school at downtown area in Yangon, Myanmar, on Aug. 27, 2020.
French Defense Minister Florence Parly meets with Iraq’s President Barham Salih in Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 27, 2020.
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish students study religious texts in a yeshiva, or Jewish seminary, using protective plastic shields set up amid the coronavirus pandemic, that allows the customary practice of learning together with a partner, in Bnei Brak, Israel, on Aug. 27, 2020.
Health officials use swabs to collect test samples from people at a main market in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Aug. 28, 2020.
A resident pours out the waters of the Blue Nile floods within the Al-Ikmayr area of Omdurman in Khartoum, Sudan, on Aug. 27, 2020.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen attends an inauguration ceremony of a maintenance centre for F-16 fighter jets, in Taichung, Taiwan, on Aug. 28, 2020.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex (L) and French Education, Youth and Sports Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer listen as French Health Minister Olivier Veran answers journalists’ questions during a news conference on the COVID-19 situation in Paris, France, on Aug. 27, 2020.
Media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, founder of Apple Daily, arrives at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts to face a criminal intimidation charge, in Hong Kong, China, on Aug. 28, 2020.
Refugees from Mahama camp in Rwanda are checked for fever as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus after arriving back in Gasenyi, Burundi, on Aug. 27, 2020.
People enjoy the summer vacation at a swimming pool inside Jaz Aquaviva Hotel in Hurghada, Egypt, on Aug. 27, 2020.
A rickshaw man cover-up during rain in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 27, 2020.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun (L) and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba lay flowers at the Memorial Wall of Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in Russian-Ukrainian War, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 27, 2020.
Pro-democracy protesters display the three-finger salute and hold a banner during a rally in Bangkok, Thailand, on Aug. 28, 2020.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meets Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in Tehran, Iran, on Aug. 26, 2020.
Pakistani Rangers distribute supplies to people affected by monsoon rains in Karachi, Pakistan, on Aug. 26, 2020. Sindh provincial government declared an emergency after heavy monsoon rain flooded several areas of Karachi, causing traffic jams and power outages.
(L-R) U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Bahraini national security adviser Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa meet at Sakhir Palace in Bahrain on Aug. 26, 2020. Pompeo held closed-door meetings with Bahrain’s royal family and top officials in the United Arab Emirates amid the Trump administration’s push for Arab nations to recognize Israel.
People carry a bed frame as they make their way through a flooded street in Alqamayir area in the capital’s twin city of Omdurman, Sudan, on Aug. 26, 2020.
School children learn about the AI robotic arm in Haian City, China, on Aug. 26, 2020.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the 110th cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, on Aug. 26, 2020.
A devotee immerses an idol of Hindu god Ganesha in the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India, on Aug. 26, 2020.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks during a parliamentary session on an accord, which defines maritime boundaries with Egypt in the Mediterranean, at the parliament in Athens, Greece, on Aug. 26, 2020.
A woman holds an umbrella against the strong winds and rain caused by Typhoon Bavi in Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 27, 2020.
A vegetable vendor sells ginger, garlic and lime, among other organic vegetables, being used as immune boosters by Kenyans to ward off the COVID-19 disease, in Nairobi, Kenya, on Aug. 26, 2020.
U.S. Special Representative for Syria James Jeffrey speaks to press after he arrived at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey, on Aug. 26, 2020.
Activists of the #BelarusWatch international volunteer initiative burn smoke flares during their solidarity rally to put the developments in Minsk and Belarus in a spotlight to push leaders of countries to support the protection of human rights and it’s democracy, in Kiev, Ukraine, on Aug. 26. 2020.
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad (R) in a meeting with Iraqi prime minister’s envoy and head of the Popular Mobilization Authority in Iraq Falih Al-Fayyad, in Damascus, Syria, on Aug. 26, 2020.
Pro-democracy leaders Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree and Panumas Singprom are pictured inside a vehicle before being taken to the criminal court upon their arrest, in Bangkok, Thailand, on Aug. 26, 2020.
Students of Babs Fafunwa Millennium Senior Secondary School wear face masks as they write an examination in Ojodu district in Lagos, Nigeria, on Aug. 2020.
A fountain filled with watermelons and melons as part of the Flower Jam Festival at GUM department store in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 26. 2020.
A Hezbollah flag hangs on a concrete barrier in southern Lebanon on the border with Israel on Aug. 26, 2020.
Nobel prize laureate, writer and journalist Svetlana Alexievich (R) and politician Pavel Latushko (C) talk to journalists outside the offices of the Belarusian Investigative Committee in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 26, 2020. Alexievich has been summoned for questioning over the formation of the Coordination Council of Belarus.
French President Emmanuel Macron, left, welcomes Senegal’s President Macky Sall before a working lunch at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on, Aug. 26, 2020.
A woman speaks to a vendor at a market in the Tunisian town of Gabes on Aug. 26, 2020.
Supporters of the opposition Liberty and Refoundation (LIBRE) party and members of the Indignant Movement display a huge banner reading “Where is the Money?” as they accuse the government of Juan Orlando Hernández of corruption regarding field hospitals bought from Turkey amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Aug. 26, 2020.
Residents carrying umbrellas walk on an almost deserted Durbar Square in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Aug. 26, 2020.
A park attendant helps people to park their cars in the right position at the Galileo drive-in, being held on a school sports field, in Cape Town, South Africa, on Aug. 26, 2020.
An man walks past damaged houses after a mudslide during heavy flooding in the Parwan province in Afghanistan, on Aug. 26, 2020.
Protesters seen breaking through the barricades during a demonstration outside the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Aug. 26, 2020.
Men and women attend Muharram religious ceremony in the Imam Hossein square in Tehran, Iran, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Men push a truck through a flooded road during the monsoon rain in Karachi, Pakistan, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Turkish flag is reflected onto 1071 Victory monument during the 949th anniversary of Victory of Malazgirt (Battle of Manzikert), in Muş, Turkey, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Residents carry their belongings after leaving their flooded houses in Niamey, Niger, on Aug. 25, 2020.
A Saudi trader wears a mask as he monitors stock information at the Saudi stock market in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 25, 2020.
A handout photo made available by Royal Hashemite Court (RHC) shows King Abdullah II of Jordan (R) welcome President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (2nd L) at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Waves crash against the harbor wall in Porthcawl, Wales, on Aug. 25, 2020. The Met Office have issued a yellow weather warning around coastal areas as Storm Francis passes over the U.K.
Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi (R) speaks at a press briefing with the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran, Iran, on Aug. 25, 2020.
A fire burns in Houla village. near the Lebanese-Israeli border, in southern Lebanon, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (L) attend a news conference in Athens, Greece, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Rohingya refugee children play in rain water at the Kutupalong refugee camp, in Ukhiya, Bangladesh, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Orthodox nuns wearing masks walk in a procession to bring the icon of the Virgin Mary from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to the tomb where she is believed to be buried, just outside of the Lions’ Gate to Jerusalem’s Old City, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Sukhoi Su-30SM and Su-35 jet fighters of the Russian Knights aerobatic team perform during International Military-Technical Forum “Army-2020” at Kubinka airbase in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Nuns of the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Saint Teresa, distribute food to poor and homeless people, in Kolkata, India, on Aug. 26, 2020.
Residents walk along a street affected by the Tropical Storm Laura, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Aug. 25, 2020.
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) attends an enlarged meeting of the Politburo of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Aug. 25, 2020.
Pro-democracy student leader Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul (L) hands in a letter, with demands to reform the monarchy, to members of the parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, on Aug. 26, 2020.
People applaud during an opposition demonstration to protest against presidential election results at the Independence Square, in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 25, 2020.
UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) helps a contractor by painting the machinery yellow during his visit to Appledore Shipyard in south west England, on Aug. 25, 2020. The historic shipyard announced it’s re-opening having being bought by InfraStrata in a £7 million deal.
Pro-democracy legislator Ted Hui (C) is arrested by police officers in Hong Kong on Aug. 26, 2020. Hong Kong police arrested a total of 16 people on charges related to anti-government protests last year.
Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi speaks to reporters at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Aug. 24, 2020. Qureshi told reporters he would meet with a Taliban delegation on Aug. 25. Islamabad’s role was only to “facilitate the peace process” but it’s up to Afghans to decide the way forward, he said. A Taliban political team arrived in Pakistan on Aug. 24.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bump elbows ahead of making a joint statement to the press in Jerusalem on Aug. 24, 2020. Pompeo arrived in Israel kicking off a five-day visit to the Middle East which will take him to Sudan, UAE and Bahrain, focusing on Israel’s normalizing of ties with the UAE and pushing other Arab states to follow suit.
Military Colonel Assimi Goita, who has declared himself the leader of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People, arrives to meet with Goodluck Jonathan, former Nigerian president and mediator for the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS, at the Ministry of Defense in Bamako, Mali, on Aug. 24, 2020.
A protester waves a flag with an old Belarusian national emblem during an opposition rally at Independent Square in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 24, 2020.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to the media upon his arrival at the entrance of his office, as Tokyo 2020 Olympic mascot Miraitowa (L) and Paralympic mascot Someity are seen, in Tokyo, Japan, on Aug. 24, 2020. Abe earlier in the day returned to hospital for more medical checks, a government spokesman said, a week after a first visit that fueled growing speculation about his health.
The fire that broke out in a grocery store is attempted to be extinguished in Sakarya, Turkey, on Aug. 24, 2020.
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono is seen through the window of a prison truck upon his arrival at the magistrates courts for his bail ruling in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Aug, 24, 2020. Chin’ono, who is accused of mobilizing anti-government protests, has been in custody for over a month. He was denied bail a third time.
Former Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho waves during a court date at the Justice Palace in Asuncion, Paraguay, on Aug. 24, 2020. Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto Assis had been detained since early March for allegedly entering the South American country with fake passports.
Members of the Women’s Veteran Movement take part in the March of Defenders of Ukraine as part of Independence Day celebrations in Kiev, Ukraine, on Aug. 24, 2020.
Health workers examine people for possible infection at a COVID-19 test station at a field hospital, built after positive cases increased, in Al Hammah Range in Gabes, Tunisia, on Aug. 24, 2020.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (R) and his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov pose for photographers before a signing ceremony to advance plans for Bulgarian participation in a liquefied natural gas terminal, at Zappeio Hall in Athens, Greece, on Aug. 24, 2020.
Journalists gather in protest to demand the release of their colleague Khaled Drareni, who was sentenced earlier this month to three years in jail for “inciting an unarmed gathering” and “endangering national unity,” in Algiers, Algeria, on Aug. 24, 2020.
Police forensic team begin an investigation in the office of the attorney general after the blaze on Aug. 22, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Aug. 24, 2020.
Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara submits the application for October presidential election at the Independent Electoral Commission in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Aug. 24, 2020.
Activist Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak gives the three-fingered “Hunger Games” salute as he arrives at Nangleong police station in Bangkok, Thailand, on Aug. 25, 2020, to accept charges relating to a protest in front of the Royal Thai Army headquarters last month.
Syrian firefighters extinguish the flames of a gas pipeline hit by an explosion between the northeastern Damascus suburbs of Adra and Dumair, in Syria, on Aug. 24, 2020.
A Rohingya worker walks through a bamboo bridge in Kutupalong refugee camp, in Ukhia, Bangladesh, on Aug. 24, 2020.
Buddhist monks wearing protective masks are seen on a deck at a beach in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Aug. 24, 2020.
A woman and her daughter look at toys at a roadside stall in Lahore, Pakistan, on Aug. 23, 2020.
Maj. Gen. Kenneth P. Ekman, Deputy Commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, claps as he stands next to Brigadier General Salah Abdullah during a handover ceremony of Taji military base from U.S.-led coalition troops to Iraqi security forces, in the base north of Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 23, 2020.
Groups of volunteers pick waste from the roadsides and drainage in Lagos, Nigeria, on Aug. 23, 2020.
A man waves a historical Belarus flag in front of a riot police blockade during a protest in Minsk, Belarus, on Aug. 23, 2020. Demonstrators are taking to the streets of the Belarusian capital and other cities, keeping up their push for the resignation of the nation’s authoritarian leader, President Alexander Lukashenko, in a massive outburst of dissent that has shaken the country since a dubious presidential elections two weeks ago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a ceremony to celebrate Ukraine’s Independence Day, in Kiev, Ukraine, on Aug. 24, 2020.
Distraught relatives wait outside a police station for news of their loved ones after a stampede at a disco in Lima, Peru, on Aug. 23, 2020. At least 13 people died in a stampede at the Thomas disco after a police raid to enforce the country’s lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.
Syrian Interim Government President Abdurrahman Mustafa attends the military ceremony held at al-Bab district as four years have passed since the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Syrian National Army, launched Operation Euphrates against Daesh/ISIS, in northern Syria on Aug. 23, 2020.
Pro-democracy students and their supporters raise a three-finger, symbol of resistance salute during a protest rally in Bangkok, Thailand, on Aug. 23, 2020. Protesters accuse the government of incompetence and corruption, calling for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha and his administration to resign.
Hundreds of Israelis protest in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Aug. 23, 2020, following the alleged gangrape of a 16-year-old Israeli girl last week. The incident has drawn widespread condemnations and angry accusations that the government must do more to prevent violence against women. Police say some 11 suspects have been questioned.
Healthcare workers disinfect COVID-19 patients’ houses as a precaution while the number of cases increase in southern district of Gabes in Tunisia on Aug. 23, 2020.
Mount Sinabung continues to spew volcanic ash, as seen from Berastagi in Sumatra, Indonesia, on Aug. 23, 2020.
Devotees offer ritual prayer at the bank of Bagmati River of Pashupatinath Temple during Rishi Panchami Festival celebrations in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Aug. 23, 2020.
A firefighter checks his GPS device as fire consumes land deforested by cattle farmers near Novo Progresso, Para state, Brazil, on Aug. 23, 2020.
Serbia’s T-72B3 battle tank competes in an individual race of the Tank Biathlon competition as part of the 2020 International Army Games at the Alabino training ground in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 23, 2020.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and his wife Diana Nausediene participate in a human chain to show support to protesters in Belarus, in Medininkai, Lithuania, on Aug. 23, 2020.
The forest fire is attempted to be extinguished by the teams in Kozan district of Adana, Turkey, on Aug. 24, 2020.
A protester wearing a face mask at Central Shaheed Minar takes part in a demonstration in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 24, 2020.
Artists and journalists protest against the persecution and arrests of fellow artists and journalists under the draconian Digital Security Act.
A man walks in a flooded street during the passage of Tropical Storm Laura, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Aug. 23, 2020.
Thousands of people stage a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding his resignation over corruption cases and his failure to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Aug. 23, 2020.
121/121 SLIDES
Staff and allies of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the opposition candidate for president who has said she will not recognise the results due to massive vote fraud, said that the shutdown had made it virtually impossible to coordinate action.
“They’ve done this all specially so that people can’t post information and talk about what’s happening in Belarus,” said Veronika Tsepkalo, an ally of Tikhanovskaya. During a trip to the city on Monday, she said, she had been unable to reach either Tikhanovskaya or Maria Kalesnikava. “There’s no internet – you need to go through a VPN. Even the phones barely work.”
The shutdown has disrupted normal businesses, from Belarus’s thriving IT sector to tourism. A receptionist at one of the international chain hotels in Minsk laughed when asked if there was internet at the hotel. “No, there’s no internet in the whole country,” she said.
According to Yana Goncharova of the Minsk-based Human Constanta NGO, the government practised throttling internet traffic as early as July, twice cutting traffic to and from the country at night. Authorities were also targeting popular VPNs, she said, as well as the popular proxy service Psiphon.
The internet blackout was enacted at the level of Beltelecom, the national telecommunications company, and the country’s National Traffic Exchange Centre, she said. Mobile operators have apologised for the service slowdowns but said they took place due to “reasons outside of our control”.
A source at one Belarusian mobile operator told the Guardian: “We’re in shock from what is happening. It’s going to continue until approximately 14 August. We’ve simply been told that this is what’s happening.” Lukashenko has blamed the outages on distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks from abroad, without presenting evidence.
The blackout has left channels on Telegram, a messenger app that has already outwitted a Russian attempt to block it, as the main way for protesters and the media to share information. Along with Nexta, which is based in Poland, are the Belamova channel, which has 340,00 subscribers, and the My Country Belarus channel.
The bloggers share photos and videos from protests, leaks about vote-tampering from the elections, and help coordinate demonstrations, including by setting the times and places where protesters should meet. Readers can also submit their own videos – if they manage to get online.
“So far I would say the major source of information, some of which is unconfirmed and sometimes turn out to be unreliable, are those Telegram channels, such as Nexta, and then some major independent media outlets or TV channels like Belsat – they also post on Telegram,” said Shmatina.
In a Minsk apartment near a protest site on Monday night, protesters and journalists huddled on the floor as police shone flashlights through the windows.
One protester opened Telegram and found a video that purported to show Russian riot police having entered the city. The video has since been judged fake.
“That’s it. Lukashenko has made a deal with Putin and he’s sent him some help,” he said. “He’s given up the country.”
“He doesn’t care about the country,” another person said. “But he’ll never share power with the Russians or with anyone else.”
Neither the spy agency, Asio, nor the Australian federal police have compelled tech companies to provide assistance under the country’s controversial anti-encryption laws that have been in force for nearly two years, a parliamentary inquiry has heard. Both agencies said on Friday they had so far secured voluntary cooperation from […]
