September 15, Pozirk. Belarusian Prosecutor General Andrej Švied has asked the Supreme Court to designate Vilnius-based European Humanities University (EHU) as an extremist group and ban its activities and symbols in Belarus.
He accused EHU of “deliberately working to destabilize” Belarus by providing assistance to “radically politicized groups” and cooperating with “the secret services of some neighboring states to harm Belarus’ interests.”
Minsk also accused EHU of training Belarusian youth for “implementing Western scenarios for the transformation of the political system in Belarus” as well as promoting democracy and pro-European views.
Other accusations include the university’s contacts with exiled opposition initiatives outlawed in Belarus, including the opposition transition cabinet described as a “foreign terrorist organization.”
Prosecutors described some EHU instructors and graduates as criminals, alleging they incited hatred, plotted a coup, called for sanctions and undermined national security.
A few weeks ago, Minsk announced extremist content designations for the EHU website and social media pages.
Membership in extremist groups is a crime in Belarus that carries a prison sentence of up to seven years.
Founded in 1992 in Minsk, the EHU was forced to relocate to Vilnius in 2005 due to persecution in Belarus.
