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Internet shutdown possible in Belarus if events of August 2020 recur, Lukashenko says

Belarus faced widespread disruptions to mobile Internet access in 2020 due to the protests that erupted across the country

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Pavel BednyakovPOOL/ TASS

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko

© Pavel BednyakovPOOL/ TASS

MINSK, November 22. /TASS/. Belarusian authorities will cut off the Internet if the upcoming presidential elections resemble the events of August 2020, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said during a meeting with students from humanitarian universities.

"I will speak frankly — it [the Internet shutdown] was almost always carried out with my authorization. When you face two problems at once, you start weighing your options. At that time, the country’s future took precedence. <...> If this [the events of August 2020] happens again, we will shut it down," the Pul Pervogo Telegram channel, which is aligned with the Belarusian presidential press service, reported, quoting Lukashenko’s words.

The decision at that time was driven by the country's survival, the Belarusian president emphasized. "Do you think I will stand by and do nothing because you fail to send someone a message and allow the country to collapse the next day?" Lukashenko said.

Belarus faced widespread disruptions to mobile Internet access in 2020 due to the protests that erupted across the country.

The next presidential election in Belarus is set for January 26, 2025.

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