BPF demands to stop persecuting intellectuals

The BPF party released a statement to support of Hrodna intellectuals, who are being persecuted for their views and beliefs.

The statement mentions Valery Bukhakau, the former editor of Arche non-state literary and publicistic magazine, and two dismissed teachers of Yanka Kupala Hrodna State University – candidate of historical sciences Andrei Charnyakevich and assistant professor at the department of theory and history of state and law Ihar Kuzminich, BelaPAN news agency reports.

Charnyakevich is one of the authors of the recently published book on the history of Hrodna that contains Belarus's historical symbols – Pahonya (Chase) court of arms and white-red-white flag, which are in fact banned by the authorities. Kuzminich recently published two fairy tales on the Internet devoted to these symbols: “Who is a white knight with a sword on a white horse” (about the court of arms) and “How did the Belarusian flag appear?” (about the white-red-white flag).

The statement notes that “dangerous signs of increased repression and persecution in the humanities sphere” were noticed in the last two months in Hrodna. The BPF party calls on the Minister of Education Syarhei Maskevich to initiate reinstating Andrei Charnyakevich and Ihar Kuzminich to work, otherwise the university “will lose the moral right to be named after Belarusian national poet Yanka Kupala”, the statement says.

The BPF party also notes the authorities organised a “raid on the creative and academic circle united behind Arche magazine”. “It started with the arrest of books and magazines during the presentation,” the statement says.

The authors of the statement think this “the barbarity demonstrated by the acting authorities reminds us of the times when other states reigned on our land eliminating Belarusian schools and forbidding the Belarusian printed word,” the statement stresses.

“In the story of dismissal of Hrodna teachers for their publications we see signs of violation of article 14 of the Labour Code that forbids discrimination at work on the basis of one's views. The disappointing case of dismissal of historian Andrei Charnyakevich can cross out all scientific achievements of the Hrodna historical school. The dismissal of Ihar Kuzminich for 'fairy tales' will tarnish the image of the university named after Belarusian poet Yanka Kupala,” the BPF party says.