Of course, then you have zombie regimes holding to power forever, because people who would challenge them most effectively are outside the country. Iran, Russia etc.
Navalny returned to Russia precisely because he did not want to be seen as yet another emigree who utters advice from abroad. He will pay with his life for that courage and other people will think twice before becoming the next anti-regime icons.
Authoritarian states are very good at intimidating people. What they cannot usually control is the economy, that is a major weakness in their armor. That is one of the reason why China concentrates so much on economic development.
KGB office in Minsk was always quite big and powerful in Soviet times.
Fun fact 1: head of FSB Patrushev studied in that academy.
Fun fact 2: Lee Harvey Oswald lived in Minsk under KGB control for a few years.
Do you realize that if everyone reasoned like you, then there would be no elections anywhere but instead every country would still be monarchies?