EHU students make a stand for political prisoners – their fellow students and teachers

A students’ organisation of the European Humanities University and StudAlliance youth initiative have expressed their solidarity with Alyaksandr Atroshchankau.

Alyaksandr Atroshchankau is a 3-year distant education course student of the European Humanities University. He is majoring in International Law. The EHU students are convinced that Alyaksandr Atroshchankau was convicted on political grounds solely. He was a spokesperson of Andrei Sannikov, a candidate in the presidential election in Belarus in 2010. The sentence of 4 years imprisonment in a maximum security institution on unsubstantiated charges and for performance of his professional duties (Alyaksandr is a journalist) is immoral and unacceptable.

“There has been not a single proof of Alyaksandr’s guilt in the so-called “mass riots”. He was not beating policemen and breaking panes of glass in the House of Government. He found himself in the thick of things because of his duties as a journalist, but he had not committed any unlawful acts, which was evident during the court proceedings.

It is obvious that Alyaksandr Atroshchankau, as well as the other political prisoners, is to become a bargaining chip of the Belarusian regime in exchange for preferences. This kind of politics throws back to the Middle Ages and is absolutely unacceptable in the 21st century. We demand immediate release of our colleague and other political prisoners,” the statement reads. It is signed by the president of the students’ office of the EHU Maxim Milto and a coordinator of the youth initiative StudAlliance Kiryl Atamanchyk.

Besides Alyaksandr Atroshchankau, a student of the EHU Mikalai Dzyadok has been staying under arrest for 5 months already, and the prosecution still cannot collect evidence of his involvement in any unlawful act or crime. Besides, after the events of December 19, 2010 charges were filed against an EHU professor Alyaksandr Fyaduta (he stays in the KGB jail) and a student of the EHU Anastasiya Palazhanka.

“We urge the Belarusian and world community not to stay indifferent to this problem. We hope that in this crucial moment you would not close your eyes to the problem of human rights’ violations in Belarus, to abasement of human dignity and violation of international law. Alyaksandr Atroshchankau, Mikalai Dzyadok, Alyaksandr Fyaduta, Anastasiya Palazhanka and other accused and convicted on political grounds are pawns in the current political situation in Belarus,” the statement reads.