Belarusian Association of
Researchers and Educators Abroad
unites and supports Belarusian scientific and educational
communities around the world
BAREA Objectives
Create a communication platform for Belarusian scientists and educators living in the United States and Belarusian scientists and educators around the world.
Facilitate cooperation between Belarusian and U.S. scientific and educational organizations, as well as other international organizations.
Organize and support initiatives and collaborations with Research and Educational Communities worldwide geared towards the development of the Scientific and Academic programs and communities in Belarus.
Create and promote recommendations for the Belarusian Government on the future development of science and education in Belarus.
BAREA HELPS BELARUSIAN STUDENTS
During the political and humanitarian crisis in Belarus
The results of the presidential election in Belarus on August 9th, 2020 were blatantly falsified. The United States and The European Union refused to recognize the self-proclaimed president Aliaksandr Lukashenka as legitimate and announced that the presidential election was neither free nor fair. Widespread peaceful protests in Belarus in response to the rigged election were met with unprecedented violence by the Belarusian security services.
Major Belarusian Universities and colleges, their students, faculty members and staff, educators from all fields have joined the protest. Students and professors are gathering for peaceful demonstrations, and for actions of solidarity inside their schools. They wear colors of New Belarus Freedom – white-red-white – and they sing patriotic songs. As a response, riot police are entering universities and brutally arresting students right in the hallways. Hundreds of students, including minors, are being detained without due process, some are violently beaten by police, many are sentenced on the spot and placed in jails.
Since Presidential election In AUGUST 2020
Hundreds remain under pressure from universities
BAREA PROVIDES SUPPORT TO DISPLACED
SCHOLARS AND EDUCATORS
The problem stretches across all ranks and disciplines
of the whole academic community
The academic community in the country has been very vocal in its opposition to the totalitarian slide. The protest involves the whole academic chain: from first-year undergraduates, to graduate students, to mid-career lecturers, to senior professors with 40+ years of teaching experience. Many of the scholars were expelled, fired, or threatened by the administration. Together with other non-government and activist organizations in the Belarusian diaspora around the world, BAREA is compiling a list of displaced scholars. The current list includes 3 university rectors, 1 provost, 3 research institute directors, 7 deans, 9 department chairs, 4 full professors, 15 associate professors, 13 research scientists, 88 instructors, as well as dozens of PhD, Master, and Bachelor students.
BAREA would like to raise awareness of the dire situation of the whole academic community in Belarus. But we are also seeking various forms of assistance owing to the heterogeneity of the academic group. The undergraduate and junior graduate students need placements where they can continue studying. The senior graduate students mainly need an opportunity to defend their dissertations based on completed research, thus completing a shortened PhD program. For the experienced lecturers and professors, we are looking for visiting scholar positions to continue teaching and research. We are also looking for institutional support such as electronic library access to subscription journals.
Solidarity with Belarusian Students
WAYS TO HELP NOW
We call on the Education Community of USA and across the World, and American students, to condemn the violence and repressions towards Belarusian students and educators who are engaged in peaceful protest.
We ask that the Education authorities in USA take a firm position and show its full support to the students and educators of Belarus and the democratic principles they defend.
We are in looking for the collaboration of new opportunities for the persecuted and displaced students from Belarus to pursue higher education.
We are seeking the possibility of special programs for the Belarusian students at American Universities such as special admissions, tuition assistance, stipends or grants, free or discounted certification programs.
We are asking American Schools to create a special quota in your full scholarship program for Belarusian students under persecution or displacement.
We are looking for financial aid for these students that your university would be able to provide.