Issue and Opponent: President Alyaksandr Lukashenka was re-elected in Belarus for the third time in 2011 from an election that many citizens believed was rigged. The Soviet-style economy suffered a major crisis, which resulted in Belarusians protesting the system and Lukashenka.
Dilemma Action: Young activists took to social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to encourage others to join them in the streets to protest. The movement has gained over 10,000 supporters. People participated in silent protests by air clapping their hands in the streets during the weekly protests in 30 cities across Belarus. This action occurred over 5 weeks.
Outcomes: Authorities took the protests seriously, sending the KGB, the Belarusian secret police force, to obtain information about protestors from their social media pages. This information was obtained after they detained the site’s administrator and forced him to give them user passwords. 200 people were arrested during the protests, and no concessions were made.