Lithuanian, Polish, Ukrainian student associations pledge aid to Belarus’ pro-democracy youths :: Charter'97 :: News

Student organizations of Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine are ready to help Belarus’ youths in their efforts to promote democracy, Oleh Yatsenko, leader of Ukraine’s Students’ Brotherhood (Studentske Bratstvo), told reporters in Kyiv on Monday.

The news conference also was attended by representatives of the Polish-based Independent Student Association (NZS).

Mr. Yatsenko was quoted by the UNIAN news agency as saying that representatives of European youth organizations plan to set up a Belarusian center in the Ukrainian capital that will host meetings of students and also organize training and workshops in Belarus for pro-democracy youths.

The student associations intend to ask the European Commission and the Ukrainian authorities to admit Belarusian students persecuted for their political beliefs in their homeland to Ukrainian-based universities on a non-fee paying basis, Mr. Yatsenko said.

The organizations also intend to send their members to observe the 2006 presidential election in Belarus.

Mr. Yatsenko said that a festival of Belarusian culture would be held in Ukraine close to the Belarusian border this summer. The local authorities have already promised to support the event, he added.