As part of a report prepared for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Belarusian Students’ Association analyzed the human rights situation in the fields of culture and education in Belarus. This report was developed to draw the attention of the international community to the challenges currently faced by Belarusian youth: the ideologicalization of the education system, the deterioration of the status of the Belarusian language in the public sphere, the state’s promotion of the “Russkiy Mir” concept, the expanding influence of the Russian Orthodox Church (through its branch, the Belarusian Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate) on education, and systematic restrictions on access to information from independent sources within the country.

• State policy, as outlined in the “Concept for the Development of the National Cultural Space for 2024–2026”, treats culture and education as instruments of political mobilization and the promotion of state ideology. A deputy minister for ideology has been introduced in the Ministry of Education, and universities have developed a control infrastructure that includes ideological administrators and pro-government youth organizations.

• Since 2020, the use of the Belarusian language has been increasingly perceived by the authorities as a sign of opposition views. There is not a single higher education institution in the country that offers educational programs entirely in Belarusian. In the media sphere, only one out of six state television channels (“Belarus 3”) broadcasts in Belarusian. There is a gradual reduction in the number of subjects taught in Belarusian, along with the reorganization of relevant academic departments.

• There is an active integration of the Belarusian education system with Russian narratives. Russian universities coordinate ideological work in Belarusian universities, promoting ideas of “unity” and “traditional values” through structures such as Rossotrudnichestvo.

• The Belarusian Orthodox Church is deeply integrated into the educational process. Mandatory events involving clergy are held, and since 2021, schools have introduced a compulsory course titled “Fundamentals of Spiritual, Moral Culture and Patriotism.”

• Authorities actively use mechanisms for labeling materials as “extremist” to suppress dissent. More than 200 books have been classified as “harmful to national interests,” including history textbooks and works by classical and contemporary authors (for example, Svetlana Alexievich).

• Access to independent online libraries (such as Kamunikat.org) is restricted, and works by independent authors are being removed from state bookstores and libraries.

• Educational programs are being substantially revised in line with the current political agenda. In new textbooks, the 2020 protests are described as an attempted “coup d’état”, facts about Soviet repressions are omitted, and the collapse of the USSR is presented as a “geopolitical catastrophe.” Work is underway to create unified history textbooks with Russia in order to promote a version of “historical objectivity” within the framework of the Union State.

Read the full report via the link!