A Vilnius-based Belarusian university faces new legal isolation that threatens academic freedom and student safety. Observers warn the ruling could cut ties with foreign partners and donors.
The Supreme Court of Belarus reviewed the appeal of the General Prosecutor’s Office and recognized the European Humanities University (EHU) together with all of its structural subdivisions as an “extremist” organization. According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, the university is a foreign organization funded by a foreign state.
According to Belarusian authorities, EHU provides “methodical, financial and other assistance to representatives of radically politicized groups, as well as to foreign destructive non-governmental organizations,” and is also used by the intelligence services of foreign countries to inflict harm on Belarus in humanitarian, informational and political spheres.
The General Prosecutor’s Office sent to the Supreme Court in September 2025 a petition to recognize the EHU as an “extremist organization.”
History and Status of EHU
The EHU was founded in Minsk in 1992, but since 2004 has operated in Vilnius, as Belarus revoked the university’s license to operate. About 80% of current students are Belarusians, and many of the faculty members are Belarusians as well. The university enrolls about 1,500 students and employs about 100 faculty members.
On August 20, 2025, the Central District Court of Minsk recognized the European Humanities University’s website and social networks as “extremist.” The university administration then stated that “studying at the university, scientific and academic activities and any other activities related to the EHU cannot be the subject of a crime.”
“studying at the university, scientific and academic activities and any other activities related to the EHU cannot be the subject of a crime”
– The university administration
Such decisions by authorities fix the EHU’s status as an extremist organization and emphasize restrictions on its educational and legal activities in the context of the current situation.