Lukasz Grajewski, Eastbook.eu, January 16, 2012 (Poland)

Famous Twitter Users

There is a place in Belarus where a spokesperson of the government talks with an oppositional journalist and Minsk authorities debate with citizens about upcoming demonstrations. Belarusian freedom of speech is flourishing in the Internet

Thanks to an open formula of obligatory short and interesting messages, Twitter has become quite popular in Belarus. At first, it was a tool mainly of web users sceptical towards authorities, but lately this social networking service has also been actively used by state institutions. The uniqueness of Belarusian phenomenon lies in pluralism and dialogue, which lack is fairly noticeable in other media. Those netizens criticising President Alexander Lukashenko and his government have an opportunity to directly ask Olga Dolgaya, a spokesperson of the Council of Ministers, anything only via Twitter.

On the other hand, the official account of Minsk authorities has been highly popular since its intense activity during the famous series of silent protests in 2011. The city government was constantly trying to demobilize the protesters and, at the same time, to create a more approachable image through discussing with even the toughest opponents of the government. Also civil servants from foreign and culture departments are engaging in debates on line. Virtual discussions on Twitter are a significant part of political and social life in the Lukashenko’s country. It is good to get to know who is twitting in Belarusian Internet – below you have our top 10 most noteworthy Twitter users:

• Piotr Kuznetsov @pkuznetsoff – human rights defender and social activist from Gomel
• Department of Internal Affairs of Minsk @GUVD_Minsk – belongs to Minsk authorities, well-known for its activity
• Anton Motolko @Motolko – this popular blogger and photographer has ca. 7,000 followers
• Franak Viachorka @franakviacorka – youth activist and politician
• Yuriy Zisier  @yzisser – head of the most famous Belarusian portal TUT.BY
• Ales Mikhalevich @michalevic – former presidential candidate
• Olga Dolgaya @OlgaMinsk – spokesperson of the government headed by Mikhail Myasnikovich
• Viktor Malishevsky @malishevsky – famous blogger, frequently awarded for his activity
• Euroradio @euroradio – dependable source of information – a Belarusian radio broadcasting from Warsaw