Authorities send signal to Belarusian society that repressive policies remain unchanged

Professor Ostrovsky, the only professor teaching in Belarusian, a well-known intellectual and critic of the current state policy, has been sacked from Grodno Medical University.

Regardless of political prisoner Bialiatski’s release as a gesture within the defrosting process of Belarus-EU relations, the Belarusian authorities do not appear eager to relax the domestic political climate. Quite the opposite, they are sending a signal to Belarusian society that the level of repressions against opposition activists will persist. This case is not unique – during the past six month, there were a few other cases of persecution for political reasons, a trend that is traditionally linked to political campaigns. Regardless of how Belarus-EU relations develop, including the release of other political prisoners, pressure on opposition activists during the presidential campaign will increase.