European students condemn arrests

Belarusian student Tatsiana Khoma, a member of the executive committee of ESIB, the National Unions of Students in Europe, was one of the people arrested at October Square in Minsk, Belarus, during a protest against the presidential election result which the EU and US have condemned as flawed.

Last December The Times carried an interview with Ms Khoma who explained how she had been expelled from the Belarus State Economic University (BSEU) because she travelled to France to attend an ESIB meeting. The university accused her of "shaming" it.

Now, four months on, the young woman is again fighting for her beliefs - together with other protesters who are insisting that last weekend's election polls were rigged.

ESIB has learnt that Ms Khoma and other activists, including fellow student Volha Kuzmich, were arrested on Tuesday morning and sent to jail for 10 days.

Protests in Minsk square began on Sunday evening as the polls closed. The protesters, and supporters of opposition leader Alyaksandr Milinkevich, are accusing President Alexander Lukashenko of rigging the presidential poll and want a new vote. Results announced on Monday gave Mr Lukashenko 82.6 per cent of the vote, securing his third term in office.

ESIB chairman Justin Fenech issued a statement in which, on behalf of ESIB, he called on all European governments to take action on the illegal arrests and the "disgraceful situation in Belarus".

ESIB condemned this undemocratic act as a direct violation of human rights.

The statement urged the Belarusian authorities to allow the people of Belarus to exercise their right of assembly and freedom of expression.

"ESIB questions the resolve of the European Union to solve these matters in Belarus - and asks what will be done now that the EU's various calls have not only been unheeded but actively contravened," the statement read.

When contacted MEP Joseph Muscat, vice president of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with Belarus, described the situation as "simply unacceptable" and explained that the European Parliament has been "the most pro-active EU institution on the subject".

"Through the delegation for relations with Belarus we have been denouncing the atrocities taking place in the country for quite some time. Last year we also proposed an action plan to the European Commission. Some of the proposals have been taken on board...

"Nevertheless, it is only now that the more drastic actions are being actively considered, including the extension of the visa ban and the freezing of assets of the country's top authorities. We are not proposing blanket economic sanctions since these would hit the population, not the wrongdoers," he said.