Student of Warsaw University is not let in Belarus
At the end of April the Belarusian boarder guards annulled the multi Belarusian visa to the student of the department of Belarusian studies of Warsaw University Marta Szymanska and put in her passport the seal ‘Entrance prohibited’.
Marta Szhymanska studies at the Belarusian State University on the exchange program between Warsaw University and the Belarusian State University. She came to Minsk on the BSU invitation in the middle of February. In Belarus she was collecting materials for her diploma that was dedicated to inscriptions on monuments and Belarusian graves.
On 28 April on the Belarusian border the Belarusian guards stated that Marta had been put on some list and therefore could not visit Belarus. They advised her to apply to the Belarusian Embassy in Warsaw for explanations. However, the embassy refused to explain the reasons why the girl was prohibited to enter Belarus.
The girl does not understand why she has been included in the ‘black list’. ‘I don’t deal with politics neither in Belarus, nor in Poland. I can’t even imagine what I could do to be prohibited entrance to Belarus. I often travelled to Belarus and have never criticized it, as it is my principle not to criticize the countries that I visit,’ explained Marta Szymanska.
The exchange program was to have ended in July. Marta wants to complete her studies in Belarus. Her diploma is based on Belarusian materials. Now she will have to change the topic and start from the very beginning. The student deeply regrets being deprived of the opportunity to visit Belarus. The Belarusians of Warsaw know Marta Szhymanska as a great amateur of the Belarusian culture and language. She has regularly participated in organization of Belarusian festivals and performances of writers, musicians and artists from Belarus. Szhymanska is also a member of the scientific societ Albaruthenica at the department of Belarusian studies of Warsaw University.
