Apple Is Censoring Belarus Protesters, Activists Say

(From October 15, 2020) As Apple released its new iPhone 12 at a launch event on Tuesday, Belarusian activists spammed Twitter and social media using the hashtag #AppleCensorsBelarus, attempting to draw attention to the tech giant's reported efforts to remove information and posts in Telegram channels used by anti-government demonstrators in the Eastern European nation.

Thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets since August to protest against the regime of Alexander Lukashenko—who has been dubbed "Europe's last dictator." On August 9, Belarus held an election, with the official results showing Lukashenko, who has been in power for 26 years, winning about 80 percent of the vote. Opposition supporters quickly cried foul, and European and American officials have said the election was neither free nor fair.

Ahead of the election, Belarus jailed multiple political opponents to Lukashenko for organizing protests against his reelection. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya decided to continue to campaign against Lukashenko after her husband was imprisoned. Many of those demonstrating against the regime believe she was actually the winner in the August election. (READ MORE at Newsweek)