29 | RISING REPRESSION MEETS GLOBAL RESISTANCE: INTERNET SHUTDOWNS IN 2025 Eastern Europe and Central Asia Belarus On January 26, 2025, Belarusian authorities blocked or throttled multiple platforms before and during election day, following a previous disruption on January 9 that was likely in preparation for the election.171 The disruptions began a day before the vote and were lifted only after the Central Election Commission declared incumbent Aleksandr Lukashenko the winner with over 86% of the votes, further extending his over 30-year rule. Prior to the elections, Lukashenko had threatened to shut down the internet in the event of mass protests.172 The government similarly imposed widespread internet blackouts and censorship during the 2020 elections, which were marked by large-scale protests.173 Latin America and the Caribbean Venezuela In 2025, Venezuelan authorities continued the nationwide blocking of X,174 initially imposed in response to widespread protests following the disputed 2024 elections that declared Nicolás Maduro the winner.175 All major ISPs operating in the country complied with the order to restrict the platform.176 In January 2025, during Maduro's inauguration, authorities further restricted access to digital communication platforms including Telegram and TikTok,177 and blocked access to at least 21 VPN services.178 Other platforms like Signal have also remained blocked in the country since August 2024.179 171 CSO Meter (2025). Belarus: Weekend of unfree elections marked by internet and VPN blocking. https://csometer.info/updates/belarus-weekend-unfree-elections-marked-internet-and-vpn-blocking/ 172 RFE/RL (2024). Lukashenka threatens internet shutdown if there are protests during presidential vote. https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-lukashenka-internet-shutdown-protests/33211982.html/ 173 Access Now (2020). Belarusian election tainted by internet shutdown and state-sponsored violence. https://www.accessnow.org/belarusian-election-tainted-by-internet-shutdown-and-state-sponsored-violence/ 174 TechRadar (2025). "No meaningful changes" – Venezuelans still need a VPN to access X. https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/no-meaningful-changes-venezuelans-still-need-a-vpn-to-access-x/ 175 NPR (2024). Protesters take to the streets in Venezuela over contested presidential election. https://www.npr.org/2024/07/29/nx-s15055646/venezuelas-authoritarian-leader-claims-victory-but-opposition-cries-foul/ 176 VE sin Filtro on X (2025). https://x.com/vesinfiltro/status/1821720870953333199?s=20/ 177 VE sin Filtro on X (2025). https://x.com/vesinfiltro/status/1878806874243354935?s=20/ 178 VE sin Filtro (2025). Bloquean DNS públicos, VPN y Tiktok en Venezuela. https://vesinfiltro.org/noticias/2025-01-09_bloqueos/ 179 The Verge (2024). Signal has been blocked by Venezuela and Russia. https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/9/24217008/signal-blocked-venezuela-russia/