Humanities sees rebirth

Vilnius. The European Humanities University that was shut down last year by Belarusian President Alaksandr Lukashenka re-emerged this month as EHU-International in neighbouring Lithuania.

President Lukashenka wanted to abolish the EHU, which was founded in Minsk in 1992, because its syllabus and philosophy was oriented towards Europe in defiance of his ideology.

The President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus, said at the launch of EHU-International that the university was committed to "teaching young Belarusians the skills they would need when Belarus returns to European and democratic values".

EHU-International has been offering distance-learning courses out of Vilnius for several months to former students who had been forced to take places in the Belarusian university system.

Participants at the Vilnius inaugural ceremony included diplomats and representatives of major funding bodies who have committed either to financial support or to scholarly assistance.

It is understood that EHU-International will receive $1.8 million (Pounds 980,000) from the US and €488,000 (£325,000) from the European Union.