February 7, Pozirk. The Minsk metro has powered up public information displays 10 days after the presidential election held on January 26.
The displays were off from January 23 to February 5, after the opposition had gained unauthorized access a year ago to broadcast its message.
Authorities disabled the system to prevent similar incidents, a source speaking on the condition of anonymity has told Pozirk.
One year ago, as Belarus was holding local and parliamentary elections, the opposition gained access to more than 2,000 screens in Minsk to broadcast Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja’s address to voters, denouncing the elections and Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Belarus’ seventh presidential election on January 21-26 took place in a purged political landscape amid a new crackdown on regime critics as Alaksandar Łukašenka extended his 30-year rule in Belarus.
The election drew severe criticism for the lack of transparency and repressive environment, with democratic countries and the exiled Belarusian opposition dismissing it as a sham.
The country has not held a single free and fair election since 1996 by the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
