Lukashenko admitted to shutting down the internet during the 2020 unrest and claimed he may authorize a full shutdown during the 2025 presidential elections if new protests emerge, state-run news outlet Belta reported on 22 November.
Lukashenko claimed that the 2020 internet blackout was necessary to protect the country. Speaking to the students of Minsk State Linguistic University, one of the major hubs of the students’ revolt in 2020,
“If this (the protests) happens again, we will shut the internet down completely,” Lukashenko promised.
The next presidential elections in Belarus are scheduled for Jan. 26, 2025, half a year ahead of the term permitted by the law. The electoral campaign is accompanied by countrywide police raids against activists, former political prisoners, and their relatives.