This week, our campaign Stand with Belarus will be dedicated to the “case of the students”.
The trial in the “case of the students” is scheduled for this Friday, 14 May. A female professor and eleven university students from various Belarusian universities are among the accused. These political prisoners are activists of the student movement ZBS Union (Zadzinochanne Belaruskikh Studentau) – Belarusian Students’ Association that unites student activists of 15 Belarusian universities. They are imprisoned for having expressed protest against Lukashenka’s dictatorial regime and for having participated in the peaceful protest rallies. Most of them were arrested on Thursday, 12 November (so-called “black Thursday”) and accused under Article 342-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus for organisation or participation in mass events that grossly violate public order.
Who are the defendants in the “case of the students”?
1. Alana Gebremariam, 24 years old
Member of the Coordination Council’s main body and Svetlana Tsikhanovskaya’s representative for the youth and students, member of the ZBS, activist of the “Youth Bloc”
2. Ksenya Syramalot, 21 years old
Student at the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Belarusian State University, press officer of the ZBS and a volunteer for Viasna Human Rights Center
3. Viktoryia Hrankouskaya, 24 years old
Former student of the Belarusian State Technological University, expelled from the university for participation in peaceful protest rallies
4. Yana Arabeika, 20 years old
Student of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University, member and activist of the ZBS
5. Kasia Budzko, 19 years old
Student of the Belarusian State Pedagogical University, member of the ZBS
6. Anastasiya Bulybenka, 19 years old
Former student of the Belarusian State Technological University, expelled from the university for participation in peaceful protest rallies
7. Yahor Kanetski, 21 years old
Student at the Faculty of Biology of the Belarusian State University, member of the ZBS and activist of “Free Trade Union”
8. Illia Trakhtenberg, 19 years old
Former student at the Faculty of Mathematics of the Belarusian State University, expelled from the university for participation in peaceful protest rallies
9. Maryia Kalenik, 22 years old
Student at the Belarusian State Academy of Arts
10. Hleb Fitsner, 21 years old
4th year student at the Minsk State Linguistic University
Tatsiana Yakelchyk, 19 years old
Student at the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of the Belarusian State University
12. Volha Filatchankava, 41 years old
Professor of the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, participated in the video appeal of the professors condemning violence, joined the strike
