JEF (Young European Federalists) Malta president Albert Camilleri has reiterated ESU’s reprimand of Belarus’ application to join the EHEA. When contacted, KSU replied with similar comments.

Speaking to InsiterOnline, Mr. Camilleri described the situation as “terrible” –adding that the country is still far from being called a true democracy. “One year after the Belorussian 2010 presidential elections, JEF still express their concerns about the lack of democratic legitimacy,” he emphasized, “due to undemocratic election processes, especially expressing their disagreement with the harassment of Belorussian civil society activists and the treatment of prisoners of conscience”

He also explained that the situation in Belarus has been a concern for quite some time: “JEF has for the last five years tried to bring attention the situation in Belarus with its annual ‘Free Belarus!’ campaign.”

When contacted, the KSU International Office showed a similar sentiment. “Despite seemingly having high levels of education, Belarus is in no way a democracy, students do not have freedom of expression, and students who have tried to make their voice heard have been punished for doing so.

Despite supporting close cooperation between Belarus and the EHEA, KSU reiterated Allan Päll’s [ESU] statement, acknowledging the fact that  it should not become a member until oppression of its students and academics comes to an end.

KSU is part of the ESU Belarus Working Group, which was initiated by the KSU through an internal motion during the ESU Board Meeting 60 in Tallinn, Estonia (May 2011). There are four national student unions in the working group: LSS Lithuania, KSU Malta, LSA Latvia, UASS Ukraine, together with ESU.  The objectives of this working group are to monitor the state of affairs in Belarus and to provide assistance and support to the Belorussian students’ organisations, keeping in contact to share the best practices while proposing a strategy on approaching infringement of student rights to the benefit of these students.

Meanwhile, in recent incidents, NEAR (Network for Education and Academic Rights) has reported that Bahraini academia has experienced a similar fate when around 500 students, 100 professors and staff were suspended or expelled from Universities after participating in the Arab Spring protests, both in person as well as virtually. According to NEAR, Bahraini students studying abroad have lost their scholarships since they have commented against the current administration of their country on social networking sites. While most have been readmitted, students are still facing hostility and intimidation.