Lukashenka's Regime Is Afraid Of Teachers' Rebellion

Teachers are under "prevention" in the schools of the Hrodna region, so that they do not oppose the authorities.

Employees of educational institutions in the Hrodna region, even "janitors and technical workers", are to go through "prevention": they are all forced to sign information notes concerning administrative and criminal liability "for violating the law". The notes indicate the articles for violation of which Belarusians have been arrested for political reasons since 2020. The pictures were published by the head of the local education department: this is how he reacted to the publication in one of the Telegram channels that teachers were going to be fired for voting for alternative candidates in the presidential elections. The regional portal Hrodna.Life drew attention to the situation.

At the end of October, the Honest Hrodna Telegram channel reported that city school No. 18 had allegedly received lists from the KGB for the dismissal of teachers who signed up for alternative candidates in the 2020 elections. The source of the channel said that they stopped signing new contracts with the people.

One of the pro-government Telegram channels reacted to the news, and the reaction was reposted by the head of the Hrodna Education Department Ruslan Abramchyk to his channel. According to him, teachers are responsible "for the moral development and proper formation of the personality" of young people, "which led to the establishment of certain features of the legal regulation of labour relations".

“Not only at school No. 18, but throughout the region, they are not fired, but prevented, and not by the KGB, but by employers. So that later our colleagues would not stand in front of the famous door, because then they would definitely have to be fired for committing offences incompatible with pedagogical activity,” Abramchyk noted.

He added that an employment contract can be terminated at the initiative of the employer with an employee who is involved in educational activities and has committed "an immoral offence incompatible with the continuation of this work". At the same time, he did not directly answer whether any of the teachers would be fired.

Another head of the regional department published a photo of the document, which was sent to educational institutions. It reads that executives should carry out preventive work with their teams and clarify administrative and criminal liability for “violations”, including under the articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which is often used to detain for political reasons: Art. 24.23 (violations of the rules on holding mass events) and Art. 19.11 (dissemination of extremist materials).

It is also necessary to work on “preventing destructive manifestations” among young people. For efficiency, it is advised to invite law enforcement officers, and “use preventive measures” if necessary.

The head of the education department also posted a photo of the memo about responsibility “for participation in destructive activities” and added that all employees of institutions, including janitors and technical workers, were familiarized with it under their personal signatures. The memo contains excerpts from the Code of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code with an explanation of what punishment can be received for their violation.

Abramchyk posted acquaintances that a preventive conversation was being held with teachers. The documents indicate that they were talking about "the inadmissibility of committing actions against the order of government and public security, anti-state manifestations, a negative attitude towards the state and public institutions, as well as the constitutional state order".

The teachers also admit with their personal signatures that they are familiar with the criminal liability for committing “crimes against the state, authorities and administration”, “illegal actions” with state symbols, production, storage of information products “containing calls for extremist activity”. Another picture shows a report from the director of one of the local schools, dated November 17.