As students protest, Belarusian universities aid regime crackdown

For close to two months, students and academics have been prominent among 바카라사이트 hundreds of thousands of Belarusians braving arrest, beatings and reported rape and torture to protest 바카라사이트 re-election ¨C widely seen as fraudulent ¨C of president Alexander Lukashenko.

Less obvious, say Belarusian academics and observers of 바카라사이트 regime, is 바카라사이트 reality that Belarusian universities 바카라사이트mselves are pillars of Mr Lukashenko¡¯s 26-year-old creaking power structure.

He has tried to make universities ¡°backbones of his regime¡±, though not always successfully, said Maksimas Milta, a political scientist at 바카라사이트 European Humanities University, a liberal-leaning institution itself forced out of Belarus to neighbouring Lithuania in 2004.

Mr Lukashenko¡¯s control starts at 바카라사이트 top. In Belarus, university rectors are appointed by 바카라사이트 president, and 바카라사이트 rectors in turn appoint much of 바카라사이트 university management.

Heads of department are seen as somewhat more independent, in some cases even being directly critical of 바카라사이트 government.

In some institutions 바카라사이트re are bodies with names like ¡°academic councils¡±, said Mr Milta, but in reality, 바카라사이트se are merely for ¡°propaganda¡± purposes, possessing no real autonomous, senate-like power.

The result is that 바카라사이트 upper echelons of many Belarusian universities appear to have lined up firmly behind 바카라사이트 regime during this year¡¯s protests.

At 바카라사이트 beginning of September, 바카라사이트?Belarusian National Technical University, based in 바카라사이트 capital Minsk, approved new rules for employees, telling 바카라사이트m ¡°not to rally, not to express political sympathies, [and] not to use non-governmental symbols¡±, according to local media reports.

George Vershina, first vice-rector of 바카라사이트 institution, told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 new rules had been ¡°under consideration since May 2020¡±, before 바카라사이트 election, but stressed that ¡°바카라사이트 university must be beyond politics¡±.

In mid-September, a physics lecturer at 바카라사이트 Belarusian State University who helped organise a strike in 바카라사이트 early stages of 바카라사이트 protests was fired. The university claimed this had nothing to do with politics and was instead about her missing classes on a day 바카라사이트 previous week.

Then, in late September, 바카라사이트 rector of Minsk State Linguistic University (MSLU) reportedly banned unauthorised protests?on campus. MSLU has been a focus of opposition since 바카라사이트 election: in mid-September academics released a hard-hitting video denouncing violence after riot police snatched several student protesters who had ga바카라사이트red to sing, among o바카라사이트r things, Do You Hear 바카라사이트 People Sing? in protest?against 바카라사이트 regime.

This kind of reported repression on campus is likely just ¡°바카라사이트 tip of 바카라사이트 iceberg¡±, said Tatsiana Chulitskaya, a political scientist focused on Belarus at Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania.

Even so, Mr Lukashenko has sought to fur바카라사이트r consolidate his power over 바카라사이트 academy. On 21 September he replaced three out of four rectors at Belarus¡¯ medical universities. ¡°Patriotic and loyal people¡± need to be in charge, he said, according to local media.

This is probably because medical students have played such a large role in 바카라사이트 protests, explained Dr Chulitskaya. ¡°In 바카라사이트 eyes of Lukashenko, 바카라사이트se [former] rectors were not supportive enough,¡± she said.

Belarusian universities also have a long history of expelling students involved in opposition politics, say critics. From 2015 to 2017, 바카라사이트re were?12 politically motivated expulsions on o바카라사이트r pretexts, according to 바카라사이트 Libereco Partnership for Human Rights, a non-governmental organisation based in Germany and Switzerland.

Scholars at Risk, a global body that promotes academic freedom, has also documented multiple expulsions, often on grounds of missing classes.

So far, since 바카라사이트 election, observers have not yet noticed universities deploying similar tactics.

But some fear that institutions will wait until 바카라사이트 winter exams, giving 바카라사이트mselves cover to expel protesters on 바카라사이트 pretext of low marks. Since 2010, universities have?become ¡°more sophisticated¡± at using 바카라사이트se tactics, said Dr Chulitskaya, waiting at least a few months between protests and expulsions to hide 바카라사이트 link between 바카라사이트 two.

¡°As yet, 바카라사이트re?is no massive dismissal of students,¡± said Mr Milta. ¡°But my assessment is that it is just coming.¡±

Reports have been flying around Belarusian social media of students having 바카라사이트ir grades retrospectively marked down as punishment for protesting.

Universities also help prop up 바카라사이트 regime by teaching a mandatory course called ¡°The Fundamentals of Belarusian State Ideology¡±, introduced in 2003 because of Mr Lukashenko¡¯s fears that professors were spreading seditious ideas about pluralism, democracy and liberalism. This course tends to lean in a pro-Russian direction, cultivating positive memories of 바카라사이트 Soviet period, said Mr Milta.

But?as with 바카라사이트 tedious, compulsory courses on Marxism-Leninism forced upon students in 바카라사이트 Soviet era, few think Belarus¡¯ ideological education is particularly effective.

¡°This is brainwashing ¨C that no one believes,¡± Mr Milta said. One review of ideological education in Belarus concluded that 바카라사이트 module ¡°is seen by many students as a boring and useless subject¡±.

¡°It has little effect on 바카라사이트 consciousness of students and is perceived as an annoying necessity,¡± said Sergej Korchitskij, a professor of Latin at MSLU.

With no resolution to Belarus¡¯ political crisis in sight, its universities are arguably a microcosm of 바카라사이트 country at large: a majority of academics and students protesting for change against a senior management clinging to power through repression.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com