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The authoritarian leader of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenko, has threatened to shut down the Internet in case of mass protests during or after the upcoming presidential elections.
In the last election, held in 2022, mass protests erupted in Belarus after opposition claims that the result was rigged.
Speaking to students at the Minsk State Language University on November 22, Lukashenko defended the decision to restrict the internet in the past and warned of future measures to suppress dissent.
"If this happens again, we will stop [the internet] completely. Do you think I will sit back and pray that you don't send any message when the fate of the state is at stake?", he was quoted as saying according to the state news agency, BelTa.
Lukashenka admitted that the internet blackouts during the 2020 protests were carried out with his approval, arguing that it was done because he needed to "protect the state".
After the August 9, 2020 elections, which many Western governments say were not free and fair, internet across Belarus was down for several days and then blocked.
The disputed election extended Lukashenko's decades-long rule - he has been in power since 1994 - for another term, but the United States, European Union and other international actors said the vote was rigged.
Protesters demanding Lukashenko's resignation faced arrests, alleged torture, and protests were violently suppressed, leaving several dead.
Many opposition figures remain imprisoned or in exile, as Lukashenko refuses to engage in dialogue with his critics.
The next presidential elections in Belarus are scheduled to be held on January 26, 2025./ REL
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