EHU Rector on the university's extremist status: "The most difficult stage since 2004"

Vilius Šadovskis. Photo: V. Raupelis / LRT

In addition to the direct threat to the safety of the university community, its head admits that the decision of the Belarusian authorities will almost certainly affect the number of Belarusians applying to EHU — slightly less than 80% of current students came from Belarus. It is expected that a decrease in the number of applicants may lead to financial difficulties.

EHU was founded in Minsk in 1992, but in 2004, Belarusian authorities revoked its license. Since 2005, the university has been operating in Vilnius.

— Let's start with what the recognition of EHU as an extremist organization changes in the university's activities in general? What is the current situation and how has it changed over the past week?

— The threat of such a status was known to us. This is not the first serious warning from Belarus addressed to the university — similar signals have been given before.

First and foremost, this is a challenge for the institution and the community, especially for students and faculty connected to Belarus. This decision — to declare a higher education institution an extremist organization — fundamentally differs from situations where non-governmental organizations are so qualified.

The university is a very complex structure, so in such a case, anyone associated with it, in one way or another, can be accused of extremist activities.

Therefore, in the first days after this information became known, despite such a scenario being expected, the community was still shaken. Accordingly, we are making significant efforts — first of all, to stabilize the emotional situation and, at the same time, to respond to the practical needs of the community.

— What worries the community most? What do you hear from students, faculty, and people generally associated with the university?

— The biggest challenge and main question now is the choice: whether to remain a student and faculty member with the university, to continue studying and working. Of course, all students and faculty currently in Lithuania are protected by EU law and national Lithuanian legislation.

In general, we — I as rector, the governing council, and our partners — assess this decision as unprecedented. We are probably the first university declared an extremist organization, although our activities are education, science, and public enlightenment.

Despite the fact that most of our community works in Lithuania, the possibility of returning home for students and faculty who have relatives in Belarus creates a serious challenge. Every border crossing becomes a potential risk — possible sanctions or political, legal persecution due to connections with the university. This is the biggest risk. These very risks determine the choice — to continue their activities or to stop them here and now.

— Perhaps this week you have already heard about specific cases or events? Were there border crossings by community members? And what recommendations are you currently giving to students and faculty?

— We are aware of several cases where, immediately after the announcement of this decision, students were on their way, crossing the border from Belarus to Lithuania. Fortunately, they managed to arrive in Lithuania successfully.

Our main recommendation — both from the university and from the Lithuanian agencies with which we cooperate — is strictly not to travel to Belarus, not to cross the border, unless absolutely necessary. The security guarantees provided by Lithuania's legal framework and the university are only valid within Lithuania. What may happen after crossing the border is difficult to predict, and the possibilities of providing assistance in such a case are very limited in practice.

— How realistically does this recommendation work in practice? We understand that if it is addressed to Lithuanian citizens traveling to Belarus for shopping or other reasons, the situation is one — they can refuse to travel. But when it comes to the university community, as you yourself noted, people are connected by families and much stronger ties with Belarus. How does this practically affect students and faculty?

— After the university first received threats as early as 2024, the number of faculty trips across the border significantly decreased. This refers only to necessary and exceptional cases. As for students, we constantly reminded them of these recommendations, however, after the official announcement, as far as I know, student movements across the border from Lithuania have completely ceased as of today.

Uncertainty and fear compel students to choose to stay here, despite difficulties — financial and otherwise. However, mobility itself has stopped at this moment.

— You say this was expected — Belarusian propaganda has been talking about such a decision for a long time. Did you prepare for this? How did the preparation proceed?

— In January 2024, the first serious threat occurred, then — also in March. At that moment it became clear that institutional vulnerability is real. Since 2024, we have gradually implemented a number of internal reforms — strengthened security, increased resilience, reviewed processes. After subsequent threats in the summer, we began developing a special crisis management plan.

This plan covered three key aspects: communication (both public and with partners), resolving practical issues, and ensuring the continuity of academic activities. As soon as we learned about the decision, we began implementing this plan — primarily by informing strategic partners.

— Do you expect the number of applicants to decrease due to this decision? What will this mean for the university, including from a financial point of view?

— I won't hide it, we have been assessing changes in the number of applicants since last year, when our social media activities were declared extremist. We believe that the number of applicants from Belarus may decrease.

However, we do not view this as an inevitable scenario. We have also seen another trend — some students, frightened, left their studies, but others, on the contrary, chose to enroll or return (after academic leaves), viewing it as an opportunity to go to Europe.

Nevertheless, in the current situation, we believe that the number of applicants from Belarus will certainly not be zero, but it will be significantly smaller.

This is reflected in our public communication and in the marketing of educational programs — we are more actively working with other target audiences.

This does not mean that the university is changing its mission or target group, however, we are ready to balance for financial stability by attracting students from other countries.

— Can you elaborate on the financial side? What share do students from Belarus constitute?

— I can say that at the moment, students from Belarus constitute the majority — about 74% of all university students. Therefore, a significant reduction in their number will inevitably affect key financial indicators. Simultaneously, negotiations are underway with the governing council and donors — we are looking for ways to stabilize the situation and ensure financial sustainability.

— How are the remaining students distributed, if 74% are students from Belarus, who makes up the rest?

— Three largest groups can be identified. Firstly, these are children of people who emigrated from Russia after 2022. Next are Ukrainians. And in recent years, Russian-speaking residents of Lithuania constitute a significant share. These are the three main categories. Besides them, we have quite a wide range of other students. When it comes to master's programs, there are students from Western Europe, Scandinavian countries, as well as from Eastern Europe — Georgia, Moldova, Latvia, Poland.

— When you say that the main target audience is students from Belarus, what does this mean in practice? Does expanding the audience change the very idea of the university? The university is often associated with Belarus, with the promotion of freedom and democracy. Does this change?

— No, this does not change the university's mission. The university, as it was created and as it operates today, is primarily associated with ensuring access to higher education — especially for those who do not have the opportunity to receive an ideologically free education. However, from the perspective of strategic development and university sustainability, the regional dimension naturally complements the Belarusian component.

— Are there currently any detained members of your community in Belarus?

— As far as I know, specifically in connection with this decision — no. If we talk about previous political processes, such cases existed. Some of them were later released, for example, within the framework of recent political prisoner release processes — among them were also our well-known graduates. However, specifically in connection with this decision, there are no such cases.

— Do you see any opportunities for the university in the decision of the Belarusian authorities? For example, it was suggested in the press that this could "untie the hands" of the university for cooperation with independent media or civil society organizations already recognized as extremist. Can the university become a platform for such initiatives? What do you think about this?

— I think a significant part of the answers to these questions will become clear in the coming months. Nevertheless, the main vector of possible partnerships and development remains related to the academic sphere — education, science, and enlightenment in a broad sense. We already have a media and communication program, and journalistic research is being carried out. The involvement of social partners, which was reduced after 2024, will probably gradually resume. However, that the university will radically change its direction and depart from its academic mission — personally, I do not believe so.

— Was the rejection of some social partners in 2024 precisely due to the fact that in Belarus they started talking about the possible recognition of the university as extremist?

— Yes, a significant part of our social partners at that time in various educational programs had already been declared extremist organizations by the regime. Therefore, security measures were taken — reduced interaction, increased distance from certain institutions. Perhaps this is partly why reflections on new opportunities are now emerging.

— Let's briefly touch on another topic. In recent years, there have been many discussions surrounding a scandal at the university involving one of the faculty members — female students accused him of harassment and inappropriate behavior. As I understand it, the court decisions were in favor of the lecturer, and he is currently working at the university?

— The university has complied with the court's decision, and the lecturer is currently working at the university. He is a representative of the arts, a creative worker, and we operate in accordance with the established legal order.

— How do you assess this situation from a reputational point of view?

— I think this situation can be viewed in a broader context. The key problem was that the university then did not handle strategic communication effectively enough. The situation needed to be presented more clearly and consistently. This would probably have helped avoid strong polarization.

— Do you mean that specific changes were made after this situation?

— Yes. Changes were made to the code of academic ethics, and the "whistleblower" principle (a system for reporting violations) was introduced. We implemented European models that allow for earlier problem detection and ensure their timely resolution.

— Another important aspect is security issues. In recent years, information about various incidents has regularly appeared. How do you assess this situation?

— We had the most noticeable episodes last winter. These were cases involving provocateurs of local origin. At the same time, we observed a more intense stream of attacks on students on social networks. Our experts believe that the university is becoming an object of attention for political forces unfriendly to Lithuania. This is also evident from propagandistic inscriptions on walls, which can provoke tension in relations with Lithuanian society.

— And finally — how do you assess the reaction of Lithuania and the international community to the news about your new status?

— First of all, on behalf of the university community, I would like to express great gratitude to all our partners and donors. To Lithuanian agencies — the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, the Conference of Rectors of Lithuania — for their clear position. Also to international partners. This shows that the university in this difficult situation — probably the second most difficult after the closure in 2004 — is not alone. This is viewed as an attack on higher education and academic freedom.

— As I understand it, at the moment there isn't even an officially published court decision?

— We have not seen this decision. It is important to emphasize that the university did not participate in this process — we learned about the decision from the media. As legal experts explained to us, the court decision itself should be published within 3-4 weeks on Belarusian platforms. Only then will we know what exactly we are being accused of.

— Do you plan to appeal this decision?

— We have no direct communication with the Belarusian authorities. The situation differs from 2004. Now it already goes beyond the national level and becomes an international issue. We coordinate all actions with the state institutions of Lithuania. We have not yet formed a final position on this matter.

— What do you expect in the near future?

— First of all, the community needs to "digest" this fact. Students will start making decisions — whether to continue their studies or leave.

As for the university itself, we will continue to work. This is our commitment to students and faculty, as well as a principled position — such decisions will not close the university. We will continue to do what we have done until now: conduct admissions and fulfill our mission.

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