BELARUS

Over 150 university students, lecturers reportedly ousted

This autumn a number of Belarusian professors and students who supported anti-presidential protests have lost their jobs or the opportunity to continue education, reports Belsat.

A total of 138 students and 15 lecturers (10 within the past week) had been removed from the universities, TV channel Studentskaya Dumka (Students’ Thought) said on 2 November. For example, students of the Minsk-based Medical University report 21 expulsions, but in a letter to the education ministry, the university administration said that nine persons were removed. However, the students claim that some of the expelled have not received the relevant documents yet.

The authorities of Minsk State Linguistic University gained notoriety for dismissing lecturers who were backing the persecuted students. In the last few days, three lecturers have been dismissed from the university, and another three have quit their jobs in solidarity. One of them, Natallya Dulina, one of the best italienists in Belarus, was detained last Friday and is now serving a 14-day term of administrative arrest.
Full report on the Belsat site