Over at Hack_Curio we tend to post short videos. But we are always open to exceptions. Here is one such exception to feature an exceptional hacktivist group: the Cyber Partisans. Hailing from Belarus, this collective was chartered in 2020 to fight and expose the Lukashenko regime. First hacking a TV station to stream videos of police brutality, their tactics and interventions have become more diverse, sophisticated, and wide-ranging in 2021. Collaborating with former police officers and hacking into government databases, they’ve landed and analyzed troves of leaked data that showcase everything from alleged police informants’ names to proof that the regime doctored Covid-19 death statistics to downplay the severity of the pandemic.

This video is a recording of an online event hosted on November 18, 2021, featuring the members of the group, along with their spokesperson Yuliana Shemetovets. Organized by Gabriella Coleman (Harvard University), Marijeta Bozovic (Yale University), Benjamin Peters (University of Tulsa) and in collaboration with the Art & Protest Initiative at Yale University, the event starts with two short talks, one on hacktivism and the Cyber Partisans history and goals. We then move to a question-and-answer period with the collective. So take a seat, buckle up, and get ready to learn about a group that has taken hacktivism to a whole new level.