12 August 2020, 17:58 | Radio Free Europe
Portal dev.by published an open letter written by the founders, executives and employees of Belarusian IT companies. The appeal has already been signed by 150 people.
It says that in the recent months, there has been a spiral of violence, and voters and observers have recorded numerous violations that indicate the falsification of election results.
“We believe that the presidential election in Belarus was rigged. Thousands of people were detained and convicted. Peaceful protests are dispersed with an excessive use of force. Ordinary people are detained for no reason, beaten up and arrested. For several days, access to the Internet was restricted throughout the country. It is painful for every normal person to witness. It is very difficult to work in such conditions.”
The signatories of the letter state that the technology industry will not be able to function in the conditions that are developing in the country. They also predict that there will be a mass outflow of specialists abroad, opening offices in neighboring countries, thus slowing down the IT sector and reducing investment in Belarusian IT companies.
“There is a risk that in a short time, it will negate all the achievements made in the high-tech field. Startups are not born in an atmosphere of fear and violence. Startups are born in an atmosphere of freedom and openness.”
Heads of IT companies, investors and programmers call on government agencies to:
- Stop violence against civilians and remove the atmosphere of fear from the streets.
- Release all political prisoners and detainees.
- Hold new transparent elections for the President of the Republic of Belarus.
- Provide citizens of the Republic of Belarus with free access to information.
