Twitter reported its site was being blocked and throttled in Belarus amid protests and unrest over the results of the recent presidential election.
According to Twitter’s official public policy account, the social media platform has been blocked after the people of Belarus began demonstrating to contest the election results. Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko declared victory with nearly 80% of the vote, but is suspected of ballot stuffing by election watchdogs, who said the election was not fair.
Opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya also declared herself the rightful winner.
Twitter announced the throttling on August 10, the morning after protests rocked the streets. The company has historically supported access to a free internet, especially in cases of political suppression.
We're seeing blocking & throttling of Twitter in #Belarus in reaction to protests contesting the election result. #KeepItOn
Internet shutdowns are hugely harmful. They fundamentally violate basic human rights & the principles of the #OpenInternet.https://t.co/DN3pc4TkWC
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) August 10, 2020
“Internet shutdowns are hugely harmful. They fundamentally violate basic human rights & the principles of the #OpenInternet,” Twitter said in a statement.
