Background Under President Lukashenka’s authoritarian rule, Belarus has been criticized for its repressive and increasingly authoritarian tendencies. The economy and political system remain highly centralized, with executive authority vested in the office of the president. Charges of election fraud have been widespread. Human...

"Belarussian authorities have imposed tougher restrictions on internet use, obliging owners of internet cafes and computer clubs to keep logs of websites accessed by customers and report them to security services." (Times Online and AP) ...

Indirect methods to disrupt Internet access to opposition websites during elections may be the way of the future in democratically-challenged countries. Today the Open Net Initiative releases its first Internet Watch Report the Internet and Elections: The 2006 Presidential Election...

Cambridge (UK), Oxford, Toronto & Cambridge (Mass), 17 March 2006 (ONI). The OpenNet Initiative (ONI) is monitoring for disruptions to Internet access during Belarus’ presidential elections this Sunday (19 March 2006). ONI is testing for evidence of filtering and other denials of...