Student Expelled from University for Being Active in Union :: Charter'97 :: News

Belarusian Students’ Association Board Member has been expelled from Belarusian State Agricultural-Technical University (BSATU). The story dates back to this year spring when KGB people visited the dean’s office of the Department where Siarzhuk studied, and tried to make him speak about International and Human Rights activity of BSA. After Siarzhuk refused to contact with the secret service, he received unsatisfactory mark at one of the exams. At the moment the examiner refuses to take the exam. The Dean office denied Siarzhuk’s request to pass an exam to a commission.

Early September Mikalai Zajko, BSATU tutor, announced that he would never put a satisfactory mark to Siarzhuk Semianuk at the exam. Siarzhuk tried to approach the tutor for five times but every time the latter refused to take an exam. The student forwarded to the Deans office an appeal with a request to pass an exam to a commission as he does not consider the mark objective and as he os sure in his knowledge. Especially for such situations to solve disagreements between a student and a tutor there exists a term “passing exam to a commission”. On September 22, 2004, a meeting of a Chair and Department Council was held which resolved to deny BSA member’s request. It is obvious that the Council was not following the principle of justice and legal right of the student on objective assessment of his knowledge, but a usual cowardly obedience to the order from above. On September 22 there was no Siarzhuk’s name among expelled student in the list on the bulletin board near the Dean’s office.

Yesterday, on September 29 at 10:00 a representative of the secret service telephoned to the student’s mobile number. He introduced himself as Vadim and said the following: “I know you are experiencing problems with studying but I can solve them. Let’s meet”. Siarzhuk flatly refused. Vadim’s number reflected on Siarzhuk’s mobile phone - +375 17 667 33 44. According to the Minsk City Telephone Network belongs to the building with the address Praspekt Skaryny, 17, the KGB center office.

Siarzhuk Semianuk is an active BSA member who takes the position of the Member of BSA Board and regional coordinator. During the last BSA action “Marching of Homeless Students” he was detained together with two others BSA members. On September 28, 2004 the court accused him of humiliating the article #166 of the Administrative Code of Belarus – resisting to police. He was charged with 133 000 BRB (approximately $60) though the witnesses testified the opposite.

The attempt to press on Siarzhuk with obviously illegal expelling from the University is regarded by BSA members as an attempt to harm the organization in general. But the BSA Board claim that they will fight for the BSA members’ rights as well as the rights of all the rest students on getting education.

Starting with this year Siarzhuk Semianuk will be studying at Vilnus Pedagogical University at the Department of Belarusian Philology and he will continue being active with the activity of Belarusian Students’ Association.