(Sergei Gapon/Pool/AP)Last week, authorities in Belarus detained at least 19 journalists from various independent media organizations and confiscated documents, cellphones and hard drives. The media crackdown in Belarus shows the government is serious about keeping independent media in check. Why did the government introduce new restrictions, and what does this tell us about how regimes respond to online opposition? Belarus has presidential and parliamentary elections coming up in 2020 — and that may help explain the government’s quest to tighten control over the Internet. The new amendments equate Internet resources with traditional media by offering Internet sites the option to register voluntarily as media companies.

Source: Washington Post August 15, 2018 09:56 UTC