Belarusian Education Ministry Says Cases Of Students' Expulsions Over Protests Isolated

Cases of expulsion of students from Belarusian universities for taking part in unauthorized opposition protests are isolated, Lyudmila Vysotskaya, spokeswoman for the Belarusian Education Ministry, told Sputnik on Wednesday, commenting on a recent statement of the country's leader

MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2020) Cases of expulsion of students from Belarusian universities for taking part in unauthorized opposition protests are isolated, Lyudmila Vysotskaya, spokeswoman for the Belarusian education Ministry, told Sputnik on Wednesday, commenting on a recent statement of the country's leader.

The opposition started a nationwide strike on Monday, after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko failed to meet its demand. Students in some universities have reportedly held demonstrations. On Tuesday, Lukashenko said that students participating in unauthorized protests should be expelled from universities and sent "to the army or thrown out on the street."

"Of course, cases of such expulsions are isolated. Most students continue their studies," Vysotskaya said.

The spokeswoman noted that the ministry did not have accurate data on the number of students in the country who had already been expelled after participating in such protests.

Mass opposition protests, involving many students and young people among others, have been ongoing in Belarus since the August 9 presidential election in which incumbent Lukashenko secured his sixth consecutive term. The opposition has refused to recognize the official results and has continued to organize regular rallies.

Since the outbreak of the protests, three universities � Minsk State Linguistic University, Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts and Brest State Technical University � became major centers of student protest activity. Earlier in October, Lukashenko replaced the rectors of the three universities.