Scientist To Lukashists From Academy Of Sciences: You Are Not Elite, But Disgrace Of Our Nation

A powerful appeal of the Belarusian biologist.

Belarusian biologist Mikalai Kozel has addressed his colleagues on the pages of the newspaper "Narodnaya Volia":

- I know that most of my fellow scientists are outraged by the events taking place in the country. A lot of them go out to protest, some of them are fired for their views. But we are not talking about them now. We are talking about the academicians of the National Academy of Sciences, associate members, directors of institutes, most of whom were obediently listening to the speech of "the great helmsman" in the walls of the Presidium of the Academy on Friday.

At a time when the miners are chaining themselves in the mines in protest, athletes, risking their careers, openly express their opinion, whole teams quit theaters and radio stations, and even BT propagandists break contracts, you, scientists, preferred to go into ostrich mode.

Yes, I have heard the words of academician Vaitovich, but we have known his position for a long time (for which deepest gratitude to him). As before, you repudiate any connection: this is his personal position, the Academy is out of politics. Well, now we are not talking about politics. Now we are witnessing legal lawlessness and simply the extermination of the Belarusian people. Those people who are not afraid to go out and express their position are maimed, tortured, and killed.

Every day, unknown people in masks take the most active dissenters directly from their workplaces, and grab peaceful protesters and common passers-by. The court conveyor stamps the verdicts.

And you sit and keep quiet. I know that I will hurt people I know, but I cannot keep silent. Dear fellow academicians, you are not the elite of the nation. Strange as it may seem, miners, factory workers, IT specialists, athletes turn out to be the elite... And you are not the elite, you are the disgrace of the nation.