Shake-up in Hrodna University

Another staff member of Yanka Kupala Hrodna University faced dismissal.

The faculty council didn't reelect Inna Sorkina, PhD in History, as associate professor, Radio Svaboda reports. Sorkina had 15 votes against and 8 votes in favour after secret ballot.

Inna Sorkina declines to comment.

Her colleagues say her post was given to pensioner Uladzimir Yahorychau. An order for dismissal hasn't been issued yet. Inna Sorkina is expected by the colleagues to appeal against the election results. In accordance with the faculty council's decision, she will be dismissed for “failure to win competition”. She will have to stop cooperation with the university.

Associate professors are reelelected every five years. This time, the election was held ahead of schedule due to the restructuring of the department of Belarusian history, which is now called the Department of Belarusian History, Archeology and Special Historical Studies.

Two historians, Andrei Charniakevich, PhD, and Prof. Viachaslau Shved, were dismissed from the university earlier. The former find job at European Humanities University in Vilnius, the latter is still unemployed.

Siamion Shapira, the chair of the Hrodna region executive committee, said last spring that it was his personal decision to dismiss historian Andrei Charniakevich. “They wrote a textbook and printed it abroad. Where did they get the money?” he said. Shapira mentioned that former rector Yauheny Rouba didn't hurry to fire Charniakevich.