MINSK, September 16. /TASS/. About 300 Belarusian police officers have been doxed since August 9, with their private and personal information having been deliberately disseminated over the Internet. Head of the Interior Ministry’s Main Department of Internal Security Andrei Parshin said on Wednesday.

"The data of about 300 police officers has been doxed on the Internet since August 9. More than 250 police officers and their family members have endured a great deal of damaging strain," he said, as cited by the BelTA news agency.

The Belarusian Ministry of the Interior launched 43 criminal cases regarding threats against police officers. "Currently, 43 criminal cases have been initiated against people who committed such violations against police officers. Out of these, 21 individuals have already been designated as suspects and are under criminal investigation with the likelihood of imprisonment as a penalty. [In addition,] 36 people have been slapped with administrative penalties," Parshin elaborated.

The Belarusian Interior Ministry said earlier that work was underway to cover all reports concerning threats, slander and insulting invectives against police officers and their family members, as well as the doxing of their personal data.

Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission’s official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival in the race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, came in second, with 10.12% of the ballot. However, she refused to recognize the election’s outcome, and left Belarus for Lithuania. After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities. During the early post-election period, the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police. The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more protests. In response, the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.