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Belarusian Students' Association
The Belarusian Students' Association (BSA) is the oldest youth organization of independent Belarus with the self-proclaimed goal of "consolidation of the Belarusian student movement for the revival of the principles of democracy, legality and fulfillment of human rights and freedoms in Belarus" The BSA emerged as an anti-communist youth organization in the late 1980s and united democratic student groups in a single union. In 1992, the BSA was officially registered by the Ministry of Justice, but has been deprived of registration in 2001. Regardless of this, the association continues its activities and has become repeatedly the target of political repression. Currently, the association consists of nine students' unions. History During the Perestroika period, interest clubs started to emerge in Belarusian universities. Among the most active were: the community "Svitanak" on the basis of the Belarusian State Technological University, which organized the issue of the first indepe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's Fair (''Jarmark Świętojański''), traditional Saint Martin's croissants and a local dialect. Among its most important heritage sites are the Renaissance Old Town, Town Hall and Gothic Cathedral. Poznań is the fifth-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. As of 2021, the city's population is 529,410, while the Poznań metropolitan area (''Metropolia Poznań'') comprising Poznań County and several other communities is inhabited by over 1.1 million people. It is one of four historical capitals of medieval Poland and the ancient capital of the Greater Poland region, currently the administrative capital of the province called Greater Poland Voivodeship. Poznań is a center of trade, sports, education, technology and touri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian language, Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian language, Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Lukashenko, ɐlʲɪkˈsandr ɡrʲɪˈɡorʲjɪvʲɪtɕ lʊkɐˈʂɛnkə. In English language, English, both transliterations are used, and his first name is often anglicized to ''Alexander''. born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and only president of Belarus since the establishment of the office on 20 July 1994, making him the List of current state leaders by date of assumption of office, longest-sitting European president. Before his political career, Lukashenko worked as director of a state farm (''sovkhoz''), and served in the Soviet Border Troops and in the Soviet Army. Lukashenko continued state ownership of key industries in Belarus after the dissolution of the Sov ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Students' Unions
A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizational activities, representation, and academic support of the membership. In the United States, ''student union'' often only refers to a physical building owned by the university with the purpose of providing services for students without a governing body. This building is also referred to as a student activity center, although the Association of College Unions International (largely US-based) has hundreds of campus organizational members. Outside the US, ''student union'' and ''students' union'' more often refer to a representative body, as distinct from a ''student activity centre'' building. Purpose Depending on the country, the purpose, assembly, method, and implementation of the group might vary. Universally, the purpose of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viasna Human Rights Centre
The Viasna Human Rights Centre ( be, Праваабарончы цэнтр «Вясна», Pravaabarončy centr «Viasna») is a human rights organization based in Minsk, Belarus. The organization aims to provide financial and legal assistance to political prisoners and their families, and was founded in 1996 by activist Ales Bialatski in response to large-scale repression of demonstrations by the government of Alexander Lukashenko. History The Viasna Human Rights Centre, registered in Minsk in 1997, was liquidated in October 2003 by a decision of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Belarus. The reason was the participation of the organization's members in observing the 2001 Belarusian presidential election. In 2005, Bialatski and Viasna won the Homo Homini Award of the Czech NGO People in Need, which recognizes "an individual who is deserving of significant recognition due to their promotion of human rights, democracy and non-violent solutions to political conflicts". Fol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PEN International
PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous International PEN centers in over 100 countries. Other goals included: to emphasise the role of literature in the development of mutual understanding and world culture; to fight for freedom of expression; and to act as a powerful voice on behalf of writers harassed, imprisoned and sometimes killed for their views. History The first PEN Club was founded at the Florence Restaurant in London on October 5, 1921, by Catherine Amy Dawson Scott, with John Galsworthy as its first president. Its first members included Joseph Conrad, Elizabeth Craig, George Bernard Shaw, and H. G. Wells. PEN originally stood for "Poets, Essayists, Novelists", but now stands for "Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, Novelists", and includes writers of any form of literatur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belarusian Helsinki Committee
The Belarusian Helsinki Committee (BHC; ) is a non-governmental human rights organization established in 1995 and in 2007 was the sole remaining independent human rights group in Belarus, apart from Viasna Human Rights Centre. Its goal is protection of human rights in Belarus in accordance with the Helsinki Accords. The government fined the organization $73,000 for allegedly unpaid taxes on money received via European Union Tacis Programme grants (2003, overruled by the Supreme Court in 2004) and brought criminal proceedings against officials of the organization, including its chairman Taciana Proćka. In 2021 BHC became one of the victims of Alexander Lukashenko's nationwide repressions against independent media and human rights organizations in the wake of the Belarusian protests. Its office was raided several times, then sealed by the police. The Justice Ministry requested documents, that were kept in the inaccessible office, and issued a warrant on the same day as the reques ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Belarusian Association Of Journalists
The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) ( be, Беларуская асацыяцыя журналістаў, Biełaruskaja Asacyjacyja Žurnalistaǔ; russian: Белорусская ассоциация журналистов) is a Belarusian professional association of journalists from independent media, created in 1995 to protect freedom of speech, freedom of information, promote the professional standards of journalism, conduct monitoring of Belarusian press, and offer legal support to all media workers. In 1997 BAJ became an associated member of the International Federation of Journalists, since 2013 the Association has been a full member of the European Federation of Journalists. The Association experienced significant pressure from the authorities since the 2000s. The journalists were detained, beaten, forbidden to leave the country, faced criminal and administrative charges, etc. In the Summer the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus 2021 issued a warnin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
Sviatlana Heorhiyeuna Tsikhanouskaya (' Pilipchuk;, , ; russian: Светлана Георгиевна Тихановская, , Svetlana Georgiyevna Tikhanovskaya, , , born 11 September 1982) is a Belarusian educator and the leader of the Belarusian democratic movement. She ran in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election as the main opposition candidate after her husband Sergei Tikhanovsky was arrested in Hrodna by Belarusian authorities. After Lukashenko declared himself the winner she fled via Lithuania and since August 2020 she has worked with a staff of 16 people in exile in Poland. She has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize for playing a leading role in non-violently challenging Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko and calling for fair elections. Early life, education and personal life She was born on September 11, 1982 in the village of Mikashevichy, Brest Region to Georgy Ivanovich and Valentina Nikolaevna Pilipchuk. Her father worked as a driver a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alana Gebremariam
Alana Tadege Gebremariam (Belarusian language, Belarusian Алана Таде́ге Гебрэмарыям, Russian language, Russian Алана Таде́ге Гебремариам; born March 7, 1997) is a Belarusian opposition, Belarusian pro-democracy activist and feminist. She was the first woman of African ancestry to run in the 2019 general election. Biography Born and raised in Minsk, Gebremariam graduated with honors from the physics and mathematics class of gymnasium No. 61 in Minsk. She graduated from Belarusian State Medical University with a degree in Dentistry, during her studies she was engaged in scientific activities. In 2018, she became a leader of the Belarusian Students' Association, promoting political activism among college students and young working professionals. In 2019, she was nominated as a candidate for the 2019 Belarusian parliamentary election, 2019 parliamentary elections in the Hrushevsky District in Minsk, from the Belarusian Social Democratic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amerikanka
The Pre-Trial Detention Centre of the KGB of Belarus ( be, Следчы ізалятар КДБ Беларусі, translit=Sledčy izaliatar KDB Bielarusi; russian: Следственный изолятор КГБ Республики Беларусь, translit=Sledstvenny izolyator KGB Respubliki Belarus, СИЗО КГБ, SIZO KGB, also informally called Amerikanka ( be, Амерыканка, translit=Amierykanka, lit=American; russian: Американка) is a pre-trial prison in the centre of Minsk, operated by the KGB of Belarus. The prison is used for detaining persons against whom investigation is being carried out by the KGB of Belarus, in particular, in cases where state interests are involved. History The prison firstly operated as the internal prison of the Soviet secret police, the Cheka. It was constructed in the 1920s as part of a complex of buildings used by the Cheka. The informal name ''Amerikanka'' is believed to be referring to the prison's form as a Panopticon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2020–2021 Belarusian Protests
The 2020–2021 Belarusian protests were a series of mass political demonstrations and protests against the Belarusian government and President Alexander Lukashenko. The largest anti-government protests in the history of Belarus, the demonstrations began in the lead-up to and during the 2020 presidential election, in which Lukashenko sought his sixth term in office. In response to the demonstrations, a number of relatively small pro-government rallies were held. The protests intensified nationwide after the official election results were announced on the night of 9 August, in which Lukashenko was declared the winner. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opponent of Lukashenko, rejected the results as falsified and claimed instead to have received 60–70% of the votes. On 14 August, she announced the creation of the Coordination Council, with membership applications open to all Belarusians who agreed that the official election had been falsified. On 23 September, Belarusian st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2017 Belarusian Protests
The 2017 Belarusian protests were a series of demonstrations and street protests against President Alexander Lukashenko that broke out in late February 2017. Protesters mobilized against a tax levied against the unemployed in Belarus. Demonstrations and marches were held in sites throughout the country with sizes of several hundred to several thousand gathering at a given time. Context Belarus has been described for several years as Europe's "last dictatorship" with no genuine political opposition against Lukashenko possible. Previous protests in 2011 and 2015 resulted in mass arrests. The country has also been in an economic recession since 2015 due to falling gasoline prices and that year a law was passed taxing the unemployed. Roughly 470,000 Belarusians are obliged to pay the tax but only about 10% have since it was issued. Activities Approximately 2,500 protesters filled the streets in Minsk on 17 February to protest a policy that required anyone who works for less tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
