A new paper released by the Centre for European Policy Analysis Journal discusses the development of the Belarusian IT community and its role in the 2020 anti-authoritarian revolution and subsequent pro-democracy movement.
The paper, titled ‘Belarus Digital Brain Drain – an Industry in Exile’, was written by Belarusian academic Tadeusz Giczan and sponsored by an international tech company of Belarusian origin. It outlines the role of the IT sector in supporting democracy, the defeat of the revolution and the beginning of a mass exodus of IT professionals from Belarus.
The research explains that IT workers were at the forefront of the 2020 protests, helping devise platforms for exposing vote rigging and coordinating and participating in demonstrations. In response, President Lukashenko declared “Tell me, what do the IT people want? I’ve already created a paradise for them. But no, it turns out they want more.”
Between 5% and 10% of IT workers left Belarus after 2020, and another 20% were predicted to do so in 2022. Most fled to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine.
Professor Wilson, author of ‘Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship’, said: “Despite being in exile, many Belarusian IT specialists continued to work online for a post-Lukashenko Belarus. The dynamism that had benefited Belarus was dispersed, not destroyed.”
The paper was presented at the 8th annual Belarus Studies in the 21st Century conference in April and followed by a live streamed Q&A session.
A new report has revealed the impact of the Belarusian IT sector in supporting democracy and the defeat of the 2020 anti-authoritarian revolution.
The paper, titled Belarus Digital Brain Drain – an Industry in Exile, was published in the Centre for European Policy Analysis Journal and written by Belarusian academic Tadeusz Giczan. It discusses the role of the IT sector in supporting democracy and the beginning of a mass exodus of IT professionals from Belarus, which accelerated significantly after the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
The report outlines the two waves of IT emigration, detailing exactly who left and where they went, what impact their departure had on the Belarusian economy, and the situation and prospects of those who left and those who stayed.
Professor Wilson, author of ‘Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship’ and ‘Ukraine Crisis: What the West Needs to Know’, said: “IT workers were at the forefront of the 2020 protests. They helped devise apps for exposing vote rigging; they coordinated and participated in demonstrations; and hacked the security services to expose their accountability for repression.”
He added that, despite being in exile, many Belarusian IT specialists continued to work online for a post-Lukashenko Belarus.
The paper was presented at the 8th annual Belarus Studies in the 21st Century conference in April, hosted by the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, the Ostrogorski Centre and the Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum. It was followed by a live streamed Q&A session.
A new research paper has revealed the impact of the Belarusian IT sector in supporting democracy and the defeat of the 2020 anti-authoritarian revolution.
The paper, titled Belarus Digital Brain Drain – an Industry in Exile, was published in the Centre for European Policy Analysis Journal. Written by Belarusian academic Tadeusz Giczan, it discusses the role of the IT sector in supporting democracy and the beginning of a mass exodus of IT professionals from Belarus, which accelerated significantly after the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
The report outlines the two waves of IT emigration, detailing exactly who left and where they went, what impact their departure had on the Belarusian economy, and the situation and prospects of those who left and those who stayed.
Professor Wilson, author of ‘Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship’ and ‘Ukraine Crisis: What the West Needs to Know’, said: “IT workers were at the forefront of the 2020 protests, helping devise apps for exposing vote rigging and coordinating and participating in demonstrations.”
He added that, despite being in exile, many Belarusian IT specialists continued to work online for a post-Lukashenko Belarus.
The paper was presented at the 8th annual Belarus Studies in the 21st Century conference in April, hosted by the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, the Ostrogorski Centre and the Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum. It was followed by a live streamed Q&A session.
A new report has highlighted the role of the Belarusian IT sector in supporting democracy and the defeat of the 2020 anti-
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