{"id":190301,"date":"2026-06-02T19:44:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T16:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/190301\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T19:45:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T16:45:16","slug":"cichanouskajas-aide-calls-for-solidarity-with-ehu-amid-raid-on-students-families-in-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/190301\/","title":{"rendered":"Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s aide calls for solidarity with EHU amid raids on students\u2019 families in Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Cichano\u016dskaja's press office)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

June 2, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Criminal law cannot be used as a tool to crack down on universities and academic freedom, Leanid Maroza\u016d, an aide to Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja, has said following raids in Belarus linked to the \u201cextremist\u201d designation of the European Humanities University (EHU).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact that the authorities have launched criminal prosecution against people over ties to EHU is yet another confirmation that reprisals in Belarus extend beyond political opponents and increasingly target education, academic freedom and the fundamental right to knowledge,\u201d Cichano\u016dskaja\u2019s press office quoted him as saying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move reflects the current authorities\u2019 fear of free, educated and independent citizens rather than the strength of the state, the politician added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pressure and harassment of EHU students’ families represent “a form of collective punishment and are incompatible with the principles of law and Belarus\u2019 international obligations,\u201d Maroza\u016d stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EHU was established as a space for free education for Belarusians, and efforts to criminalize ties with the university amount to an attack on the country\u2019s future and its younger generation, he said, calling for international attention to the situation and solidarity with EHU students and faculty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EHU was founded in Minsk in 1992, but the Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka government shut it down in 2004, forcing it to relocate to Lithuania. Belarusian authorities branded the exiled university as an \u201cextremist\u201d group in April. Association with an extremist group in Belarus carries a penalty of two to seven years in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u017amitryj Brylo\u016d, a departmental chief at the Prosecutor General\u2019s Office of Belarus, claimed that the exiled university provides support to radical politicized groups and destructive foreign NGOs and is used by state security agencies to cause damage to Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to its website, EHU receives support from the European Union, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the governments of the Netherlands and Iceland, and other donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until recently, Belarusians accounted for about 74 percent of EHU\u2019s student body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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