Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko admitted on Thursday that he leads an authoritarian state, but claimed that there are no political prisoners in his isolated state.
"Yes, our system of power is tougher. I don't even rule out the term 'authoritarian'", said Lukashenko in an interview with the AFP news agency.
The Belarusian human rights group Viasna has said that there are currently 1,259 political prisoners in the country.
However, Lukashenko rejected discussions about "hundreds" of prisoners and claimed that no one from the opposition is being held in prison.
Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994, aims to portray all opposition to him as a Western-backed conspiracy.
He has criticized Belarusians who participated in protests against his re-election in the 2020 presidential elections.
"Those people have gone against the state. Not against the authorities, but against their state and nation", he said.
The 67-year-old leader quelled the protests with the help of his ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Key leaders of the protests are imprisoned or have fled the country.
"I am not a dictator", said Lukashenko, although he admitted that Belarus has "elements of authoritarianism".
"I'm not as wild as you think", he added.
Since the suppression of the protests, the Belarusian authorities have cracked down on anyone who has shown dissent against the state. /Rel