Lukashenko may be attacking the press, but technology is winning

The response of Belarusian media to Lukashenko's crackdown exposes the self-limiting nature of closed regimes, writes Oliver Carroll

Protesters are turning to apps and sites outside the regime’s control (AFP/Getty)

The Belarusian regime has never advertised itself as an advocate of the free press. But at various points during the last three weeks, it made working conditions for journalists as bad as they can get outside of a war zone. In some respects they were worse than war zones.

Between 9 and 12 August, a period of intense crackdown, journalists not only got caught up in the arbitrary terror, but were sometimes direct targets of it. Some were shot at with rubber bullets despite having press jackets. Others had their equipment destroyed. Over 70 were arrested, and four dozen either seriously injured or beaten while detained in jail.

With diplomacy suspended over those days of hell, a foreign passport offered only limited protection. The Independent was one of only a handful of international outlets to be accredited by the regime. The others worked undercover and at considerable risk.