Click to expand Image European Humanities University, Vilnius, Lithuania. © European Union (Berlin) – Belarusian authorities are carrying out a countrywide intimidation campaign against former and current students of the European Humanities University (EHU), Human Rights Watch said today.  The authorities have searched the homes of dozens of students and their families and harassed, interrogated, and detained them. The actions violate their rights to freedom of thought, expression, and association.  “The vicious targeting of the community of free academic thinkers fostered by the EHU is a blatant attack by the Belarusian government on academic freedoms, free expression, and the right to education,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Governments negotiating with Belarus should call on Minsk to put an end to the political crackdown and respect its international human rights commitments.”  The EHU is a private, independent university established in 1992 in Minsk, Belarus to foster democratic values and strengthen civil society. In 2004, the Belarusian Ministry of Education revoked the university’s license following a series of unsuccessful attempts to undermine the university’s autonomy. In 2005, the university reopened in Vilnius, Lithuania, with several thousand students, mostly Belarusians, graduating since.  On June 2, 2026, Belarusian law enforcement agents searched the homes of family members of current students, alumni, and even former students who did not complete their studies and formally questioned the family members. Human Rights Center Viasna, which provided legal assistance, said that the interrogations were connected to a criminal investigation into “aiding” and “financing extremist activities.” The investigation was apparently opened against an “unidentified group of people” wh