Maxime Verhagen: “I will keep a close watch on situation with Tatsyana Shaputska’s expulsion”

• 19.01.2010, 16:50

The Foreign Minister of the Netherlands is convinced that the European Union should continue to pay attention to illegal expulsions of oppositionists from Belaryusian universities in the future.

Maxime Verhagen, Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, responded to the address of Dutch parliamentarians concerning expulsion of Tatsyana Shaputska, press-secretary of the Young Front, from the Belarusian State University, Radio Svaboda informs.

As follows from the inquiry of deputies, “nothing can justify such an action of the authorities when a student is expelled from the university for participation in the events dedicated to promotion of a dialogue and partnership”. Nevertheless, in response to her petition to the BSU rector to reinstate her in the university, the press-secretary of the Young Front was refused.

As said by Maxime Verhagen, the issue related to illegal expelling Tatsyana Shaputska and other Belarusian students should continued to be brought up by Brussels. It happened during the meeting of ministers Carl Bildt and Syarhei Martynau, when Sweden presiding in the EU called the actions of the Belarusian authorities “absolutely unacceptable”.

As underlined by the head of the Dutch Foreign Ministry, he is to continue following this issue personally, and to bring it up every time presenting the Netherlands at the international level.

We remind that Tatsyana Shaputska was expelled from the university after she took part in the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum in Brussels on November 16-17. Despite of the addresses of European diplomats to the Belarusian authorities, they failed to help solving the situation in favour of the student who is charged with banal non-attendance.