European Scientists Protest against Liquidation of European Humanities University

02.08.2004.

RFE/RL

The liquidation of European Humanities University is in the focus of attention of the European community. Austrian press writes about the concern of European organs and the US with the Belarusian situation and German editions publish protests of scientists and public activists against the suppression of liberal thought in Belarus.

According to the Austrian “Die Presse”, the European University, that is financially supported by European bodies and has numerous partners among western universities, prepares several hundreds of qualified specialists in the field of international legislation, political and cultural studies… Unlike Belarusian state universities, the European University provided the possibility of probation work abroad to its students. According to the European edition, European organs and the US express their concern with the suppression of the educational establishment in Belarus.

According to the vice-head of the head of the US mission at the OSCE Paul Jones, quoted by a number of Austrian editions, the US hope that Belarusian authorities will urgently stop their assault on the university and will begin execution of their undertakings to OSCE in the field of educational and cultural rights.

A number of German media printed the appeal of well-known scientists from the universities of Warsaw, Paris, Brussels and Berlin to their Parliaments in which they ask to use all possible measures to convince the official Minsk in the falseness of its decision towards EHU. According to the authors of the appeal, in the liquidation of the university they see an attempt to control the higher education, to which Europe can’t agree.

-- European Humanities University struggles for its survival and we ask our respected Parliaments to support this institution, -- write European professors.

In his interview to “Deutsche Welle” the professor of Constance University Reiner Linder who specializes in Belarusian history said:
-- At present the future of liberalism and liberal thought in Belarus looks more problematic than ever. The situation reminds of the times of Stalin’s rule.

A number of well-known experts in the affairs of the Eastern Europe with Hans Heorg Wieck at the head propose to establish special working head-quarters for EHU preservation that could find ways to prolong existence of this institution. According to Linder, the experts have the impression that the people who have never studied at the university and don’t understand what free thought means can hardly understand the meaning of the universal education.

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