Student challenges his expulsion from Belarusian State University

The continuation of the consideration of Uladzimir Andryienkas appeal against his expulsion from the juridical faculty of Belarusian State University continued at the Maskouski District Court of Minsk on January 14.

The case is considered by Judge Alena Rudnitskaya.

BSU was represented by two authorized representatives. One of them is Aleh Shyrynski, lecturer on the subject “Political and legal doctrines” for the alleged failure to pass an exam on which the student was expelled.

At the beginning of the hearing Mr. Adryienka made several petitions: to request from the Ministry of Education materials of the inspection on his earlier appeal, as well as the rector's order for his expulsion, give him an opportunity to study his personal case and summon to the trial the elder of the group No. 12 Kotava, the head of the student personnel department Sharanhovich and the students who were taking the exam together with him onthe subject of "Political and legal doctrines".

Having listened to the plaintiff's explanations in Belarusian for ten minutes, the judge couldn't bear it anymore and ordered the secretary to put down in the minutes of the trial that the trial would continue in the Russian language. After a short debate about the existence of two state languages in Belarus, Andryienka continued speaking Belarus. At that moment one listener was expelled from the court hall for an alleged breach of the public order.

It should be noted that the plaintiff believes that he was ready to retake the exam in presence of a commission, he answered the questions in the examination ticket as well as additional questions. He thinks that getting an unsatisfactory mark and, as a result, expulsion from the university, are connected to his active citizenship, including the distribution of books on student self-government among the elders of the law faculty groups. This resulted in a conflict with the deputy dean A. Shydlouski, who seized the book from the elders and threatened: "If someone wants to graduate early, we can help him in this".

The plaintiff drew the example of Tatsiana Shaputska, a defendant on which is the head of the department of Theory and history of the state and law S. Kalinin, which can witness repeated cases of persecution for “undesirable” activities.

The representative of the interested body stated that Andryienka just didn't prepare to the exam and didn't answer the questions in the examination ticket, that's why the examination commission made a collegial decision to give him an unsatisfactory mark.

However, as it became clear during the speeches of the sides, there were several violations during in the execution of the relevant documents and the order of familiarization of Mr. Andryienka with them. In particular, the presentation to the Rector for the student's dismissal is dated later than the proposed date of expulsion. The student was informed about the expulsion with violations, and was not familiarized with the order for his expulsion at all.

After listening to the arguments of the plaintiff and representative of the interested body the judge announced a ten-minute break, which lasted half an hour. Five times before the end of the working hours of the court, the judge returned to the court hall, granted the motionsfor requiring the materials of the inspection from the Ministry of Education and summoning the head of the student personnel department Sharanhovich.

After the hearing, Uladzimir Andryienka shared his feelings:

"It is hard that you say everything you know, attach various evidence and summon to the trial everyone you can. But you don;t know about the outcome, and the trial itself takes a lot of energy."

The next hearing was scheduled for 10 a.m. on January 22.