More than 20 news websites in Belarus appeared to be blocked on Sunday (local time) as the country’s opposition leader, who has been banned from the country, called for opposition to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenka.
The Belarusian Association of Journalists reported in a statement that the pages were blocked, according to NBC News.
One of the websites was by US-funded Radio Liberty.
News of the censorship comes amid a tumultuous time in the Eastern European country that has seen hundreds of thousands of Protestants march on allegations that Lukashenka rigged the country’s elections to score 80 percent of the popular vote.
Earlier in the day, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the nation’s opposition leader, called for another uprising after protests in the nation’s capital of Minsk.
The US and European Union have said the presidential election in Belarus is neither free nor fair, and encourage authorities to communicate with the opposition council.
U.S. lawmakers say the Belarusian election is “from the beginning” and signaled their support for protesters.
Lukashenka has held the position of president since 1994, but said this week he would be ready to hand over power to Tsikhanouskaya after a referendum. Tsikhanouskaya fled Lithuania from security to Lithuania after Lukashenka declared victory.
Since the August 9 election, thousands of protesters have been detained by police for protesting against Lukashenko’s administration in the Minsk capital.
According to Radio Liberty, authorities used stun grenades, rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters.
NBC reported that at least two protesters were killed while dozens of other protesters and officers were injured.
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