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Anonymous hackers leaked the personal data of 1,000 Belarusian police officers in retaliation for the crackdown on street demonstrations against veteran president Alexander Lukashenko as protesters prepared for another massive rally on Sunday.
“As the arrests continue, we will continue to release data on a large scale,” said a statement distributed by the opposition news channel Nexta Live on the Telegram messaging app. “No one will remain anonymous, not even under a ski mask.”
The government said it would find and punish those responsible for leaking the data, which was widely distributed on Saturday night.
“The forces, means and technologies at the disposal of the internal affairs organs allow the identification and prosecution of the vast majority of those guilty of leaking personal data on the Internet,” said Olga Chemodanova, spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior.
The loyalty of the security forces is crucial to Lukashenko’s ability to hold on to power after last month’s presidential elections, in which he claimed a landslide victory. His opponents say he was rigged to give the former Soviet collective farm chief a sixth term.
The security forces have detained thousands of people to face a wave of protests and strikes, with their faces often hidden by masks, balaclava or riot helmets. Some protesters have physically ripped off the officers’ masks.
The government said 390 women were detained for participating in a protest against Lukashenko on Saturday. Most have been released.
Lukashenko’s crackdown on protests has led the European Union to consider new sanctions against his government.
Minsk reacted angrily on Saturday to reports that Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the main opposition candidate in last month’s elections, may soon meet with the EU foreign ministers.
A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, criticized the EU for inviting Tikhanovskaya to the ministerial meeting, as well as considering sanctions against Minsk, saying that Brussels was trying to “rock the boat” in Belarus.
