Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “I have heard recently about propagandists giving lectures at Belarusian universities. I'm convinced that their desire to speak to the younger generation in person is not borne out of a great love for imparting knowledge. It's just that young people don't watch TV and are shielded from their stream of lies. It's a shame that what could be a helpful lecture was replaced with another dose of lies. This situation is a troubling sign of where our country is headed.
Who do global universities invite to give lectures? It's always a respected person and a professional in their field, like a Nobel laureate or the CEO of a major tech company, a renowned scientist, or a philanthropist.
It's tragic that the most helpful lectures in Belarus can now be heard in prisons because the overwhelming majority of political prisoners are respected and intelligent Belarusians, the intellectual elite and the real treasure of our nation. Meanwhile, those who can't build a single sentence without insulting their opponent are touring universities.
What pleases me is how students react to these 'guests'. They ask questions that show the younger generation are free-minded and do not just follow the superiors’ playbook. And even if ideologists, security personnel, and propagandists fill all the departments, they will fail to stop progress. Students will just laugh and find the truth in sources that truly deserve trust”.
