Repressions at universities took on a new dimension in 2021 – Report on the state of the student community

February 18, BPN. Repressions at universities took on a new dimention, according to a report on the state of the student community prepared by the Belarusian Students’ Association and the Independent Bologna Committee.

The document notes that students and faculty were harassed in 2021, while university officials worked closely with law enforcement agencies to find and punish those deemed undesirable.

According to the report, more than 165 students were expelled for political reasons, more than 80 instructors lost their jobs due to their political positions, hundreds of students and teachers are in forced exile and cannot return home.

Students were criminally prosecuted. One of the most high-profile cases is that of the students, where 12 people were sentenced to terms between two and two and a half years in prison. All of them are recognized as political prisoners.

The report mentions at least 24 political prisoners who were students before being detained. The largest number of political prisoners is among the students of the Belarusian State University – there are 13 of them.

One of them is Arciom Bajarski, 20, a former student of the Chemistry Department at the Belarusian State University, sentenced on December 9, 2021 to five years of imprisonment in a high-security penal colony under Article 3611, part 1 (establishment of an extremist formation) and Article 342, part 1 (organization of group actions that grossly violate public order) of the Criminal Code. The trial was held behind closed doors and Bajarski’s parents were not allowed to attend even his final statement in court.

Bajarski was accused of administering the Telegram channel Maja Kraina Belarus and of participating in a protest rally on October 25, 2020. He has been in custody since March 24, 2021.

On February 18, the Supreme Court rejected Bajarski’s appeal, upholding his sentence.