Ethiopian PM justifies govt’s right to shut down internet

Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed has justified government’s right to shut down the internet, saying it is done to save lives.

Earlier in June, the internet and text services were also shut down when national school exams were being held to prevent cheating.

Mr Abiy, who has brought in sweeping reforms since coming to power in April last year, said it was better to incur economic losses than the loss of a single life.

He gave a warning that if people used the internet to incite people to kill fellow citizens and destroy property, then a switch-off could be long term.