Student organisations, democratisation and higher education in Belarus: the understanding, function and implementation of human rights

Johanna Ohlsson presents her new research project.

The human rights situation in Belarus has long been catastrophic with repressive legislation, oppressive mechanisms and interventions regularly exercised by state actors and bodies (Frear 2019, Bedford 2021). Until 2020, democratisation, social criticism and human rights were primarily issues that engaged opposition actors and organisations. Belarusians have been seen as apolitical, generally unconcerned with politics. This drastically changed after the 2020 election, when a significant part of the Belarusian population protested and demonstrated against the election results. This created a momentum for change, yet we know very little about how various actors have been able to utilise this shift – and the repressive measures that followed. Previous research indicates that students and student organisations have played a crucial role in democratic change, connecting democratisation, students and higher education. Exploring this further based on interviews with Belarusians in exile, this project aims to explore how Belarusian student organisations understand, use and implement human rights, both strategically and in their daily work, and if and how this is related to higher education.