Belarusian Youth: Belarus is Suffering from a Lack of Information

Tallinn, 10 August 2006 – The young Belarusians studying at summer university in Estonia said that their compatriots do not receive sufficient information about what is happening outside the country. It is because of this that changes are slow to occur in Belarus, they emphasized at yesterday’s meeting with politicians and representatives of non-profit organizations.

“When people have seen the world and know what life is like outside of Belarus, they can also change their thinking and mentality. Only then do people understand that it is possible to live in other ways than they do now,” said 22-year-old Antonina Yelistratova, a student at the European Humanities University operating in exile in Vilnius. According to the young activist, the main thing that her compatriots need to understand is that they can choose the political regime of the country.

Estonia’s non-profit organizations already have ties with Belarusian organizations and activists and are therefore in the best position for informational activities, said Mall Hellam, Director of the Open Estonia Foundation and member of the Belarus support group.

“Cooperation with Belarusian organizations and activists can only take place if we do not create obstacles for their visiting us. Therefore, it is very important to simplify the visa regime for ordinary Belarusian citizens,” said Hellam. “Our experience has shown that it is very difficult for ordinary Belarusians to get visas for any EU member state – it is an expensive, complicated, and nerve-racking process,” she added.

At yesterday’s meeting, the Belarusian students and activists provided an overview of recent events in Belarus from the standpoint of a participant, including the trial of the youth organization Partnership. The young people are in Estonia to attend summer school at the University of Tartu on scholarship from the Open Estonia Foundation. The summer school is focused on topics related to European integration and Russian foreign policy. All of the 10 Belarusians were chosen through a public scholarship competition and many of them have been active in Belarusian non-profit organizations.

Within the framework of the European Neighbors Program, the Open Estonia Foundation (OEF) has helped to raise awareness of the situation in Belarus and organized training and meetings with the representatives of Belarusian non-profit organization. The Foundation has participated in the organization of events to support democracy and helped to distribute informational material in Tallinn, Tartu, and Pärnu. In addition, the OEF has supported the sending of independent election observers to monitor the Belarusian presidential elections in March, which due to Lukashenka’s fear tactics and fraud turned into a farce. The Open Estonia Foundation, along with the Belarus support group that is comprised of representatives of non-profit organizations and election observers are partners of the state in helping Belarusian students who have been expelled for political reasons to continue their education in Estonia.



Mall Hellam
Executive Director
Open Estonia Foundation
+ 372 6313791
mall@oef.org.ee  
www.oef.org.ee  

Liisa Past
Media Director
Open Estonia Foundation
+ 372 6313791
liisa@oef.org.ee 
www.oef.org.ee