Slovakia Concerned by Shutdown of Independent Institute in Belarus :: Charter'97 :: News

The Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement on Tuesday expressing serious concern over reports about the closure of the Independent Institute for Social Economic and Political Studies in Belarus. This institute is one of the oldest non-governmental and research institutions in Belarus. According to the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry, this is another sign that the free flow of objective information to the public is being restricted, the ministry`s spokesperson, Juraj Tomaga, told SITA news agency. The Supreme Court of Belarus ordered the closure of the institute based on a motion filed by the Justice Ministry. Sociology professor Oleg Manaev from Belarus could not attend a conference in Bratislava on transatlantic relationships. President of the Prague Society for International Cooperation Marc S. Ellenbogen informed the conference that the university where Professor Manaev works, forbade him to attend.

The Belarusian state university threatened to dismiss him if he goes. At a conference in February in Bratislava, Mr. Manaev opened up the issue of looking for new ways toward democracy for Belarus. After his return to Belarus he was confronted with intense pressure from authorities. The state TV channel in Belarus represented his presence at the conference as a “western sponsored event against the people of Belarus.”