Copyright © 2021 Euromaidanpress.com

The work of Euromaidan Press is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

When referencing our materials, please include an active hyperlink to the Euromaidan Press material and a maximum 500-character extract of the story. To reprint anything longer, written permission must be acquired from [email protected].

Privacy and Cookie Policies.

Belarus hacktivists dox riot police after mass detentions of Women’s March participants | Photos

Belarusian cyber-activists leaked the personal data of police after at least 390 were detained during the Women’s March on 19 September. Photo: Vadim Zamirovskyi, Daria Buriakina, tut.by

Note: this article was updated to include a new tranche of data shared at 20:40 on 20 September

Belarusian hacktivists are increasingly flexing their muscles as protests against self-proclaimed president-elect Alyaksandr Lukashenka enter their seventh week. After at least 390 people were detained on 19 September during the Women’s March in Minsk, according to the “Viasna” human rights center, the NEXTA Telegram channel, one of the major coordinators of anti-Lukashenka protests, published personal data of 1,003 Belarusian Interior Ministry officers involved in the arrests of protesters. 1,039 more from Brest and the Brest Oblast were added at 20:40 on 20 September.

On 18 September, the Women’s March, called the “Glittering March” because participants were encouraged to wear glittering attire, in Belarus. It was the fourth such one and drew roughly 2,000 participants in Minsk. But, as opposed to the first one, where riot police had not dared to detain protesters, this time, roughly every fifth woman was dragged away to a paddy wagon.

Photo: Nadzeia Buzhan, Nasha Niva
Photo: Nadzeia Buzhan, Nasha Niva
Photo: Nadzeia Buzhan, Nasha Niva
The police released most of them after taking their fingerprints. At least 18 people were sent to Akrescina jail.
Photo: Vadim Zamirovskyi, Daria Buriakina, tut.by
Photo: Vadim Zamirovskyi, Daria Buriakina, tut.by
Photo: Vadim Zamirovskyi, Daria Buriakina, tut.by
Photo: Vadim Zamirovskyi, Daria Buriakina, tut.by
Photo: Vadim Zamirovskyi, Daria Buriakina, tut.by
Photo: Vadim Zamirovskyi, Daria Buriakina, tut.by
Photo: Vadim Zamirovskyi, Daria Buriakina, tut.by

Photo: Vadim Zamirovskyi, Daria Buriakina, tut.by

Also detained was the legendary Nina Baginskaya, a 73-year-old grandmother who has become famous with protesters for her ever-present brandishment of the banned Belarusian white-red-white national flag. Although she was shortly released, as it often happened with her before, the police confiscated her flag.

Nina Baginskaya gets detained by riot police. Photo: Vadim Zamirovskyi, Daria Buriakina, tut.by
Nina Baginskaya gets detained by riot police. Photo: Vadim Zamirovskyi, Daria Buriakina, tut.by

Meet the 73-year-old granny who became an icon of the protests against Lukashenka

The authors of the channel reported that they received information about law enforcement officers “thanks to cyber partisans” and warned that if the detentions would continue, so would the doxing.

“Nobody would remain anonymous, even under a balaclava,” NEXTA wrote.

The google table lists the names of employees, their birthdays, duty stations, and ranks. NEXTA asked subscribers to report “facts about the crimes made by specific people on the list, as well as their personal information.”

Separately, NEXTA published the addresses and phone numbers of seven officers from Almaz, the Belarusian anti-terrorist special unit that was deployed against Minsk protesters in August, armed with machine guns, flashbang and gas grenades, and rubber bullets. The Telegram channel blamed the special unit for the death of Alexander Taraikovsky, the first protester to die during protests after being shot.

While addressing the security forces with a demand to release the detainees at the Women’s March earlier, Lukashenka’s contender Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said that “the security officials must remember: Belarusians are ready to de-anonymize those who carry out criminal orders.”

“You’ll still have to look into the eyes of your people, whom you are to defend,” Tsikhanouskaya said.

This doxing continues the trend of “de-masking” the riot police, whether in uniform or without. The “siloviki” of Lukashenka’s power vertical, who are believed to be a major pillar factor behind his reign, have become increasingly unpopular and are afraid of having their identities exposed.

Earlier, a “Black Book” project to gather personal data of “siloviki” was launched in Telegram.

Protests against rigged elections in Belarus, where Alyaksandr Lukashenka claimed a sweeping victory, started on 9 August and have continued ever since, joined by a nationwide strike movement. They have been marked by mass detentions and reports of torture at detention centers. At least two protesters have been killed. The excessive use of violence by Belarusian riot police has been criticized internationally.

According to the Viasna human rights center, the total number of activists, bloggers, and protesters detained before the 9 August election was 1,700; after the election – some 12,000. That’s nearly 14,000 this year, an unprecedented number:

On 17 September, members of the European Parliament adopted a resolution rejecting the official results of the “so-called presidential elections” in Belarus, welcoming the recently established Coordination Council as an “interim representation of the people demanding democratic change” in Belarus, reiterated calls for new, free and fair elections to take place as soon as possible under international supervision, and called for sanctions against the Belarusian regime.

Most members of this Coordination Council are currently jailed or expelled; Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who the protesters believe is the real winner of the presidential election, left Belarus against her will, while her senior associate Maria Kalesnikava is currently jailed after having resisted a forced deportation to Ukraine.

Lukashenka jails and expells all opposition leaders but Belarus protests show no sign of decline

A parallel vote count has revealed that Lukashenka’s claimed 80.1% victory is statistically impossible:

How Alyaksandr Lukashenka stole the Belarus presidential election

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!
Total
0
Shares
Related Posts