Belarusians are getting naked and going to work

Belarusians have been posting photographs and videos of themselves working naked to social media after a slip of the tongue by the country's president.

President Alexander Lukashenko, informally called 'Daddy' by his countrymen, made the gaffe while giving a speech at a forum on innovation and emerging information technologies on June 23.

"We must, in short, undress and work," Mr Lukashenko declared.

But in Belarusian, the words for "undress" and "develop" sound alike and what he actually meant to say was: "We must, in short, develop and work."

Since then, Belarusians have been taking to social media to show themselves hard at work while wearing hardly anything.

Dozens of office-based employees, musicians, journalists, construction workers and media personalities have made light of the gaffe by posting gag images of themselves to social media - shielding their most private parts with computers, musical instruments and tools.

Many of the images have gone viral after being given the hashtag: #getnakedandgotowork

Despite the laughs, many of those participating are using it as a creative way to poke light at their leader's despotic rule.

Since coming to power in 1994, Mr Lukashenko has thrown dozens of his political opponents into prison and limited his people's freedom of expression.