“I DECIDED I WOULD NOT RESIGN VOLUNTARILY”: THE COUNTRY’S BEST ITALIAN PROFESSOR FIRED FROM MSLU
Zmitser Pankavets (Nasha Niva), October 29, 2020

Natallia Dulina is one of those Minsk State Linguistics University (MSLU) professors who supported the strike at the university on 26 October. Three days later she received a call from human resources department with a request to resign voluntarily.

Natallia Dulina has been working at MSLU since 1991. She is one of the best Italian language professors in Belarus. She is greatly respected by students and faculty. In fact, Dulina has become the informal leader of the strike.

“When I got the call, I was already off the campus, so I decided not to return. Now I need to consult experts on what to do, whether there are grounds to fire me, and how to act in this situation,” Ms. Dulina said.

Later three more MSLU professors received a similar call. Natallia Dulina said that her five-year contract expires around March. “When we were protesting in September, the former rector Natallia Baranava issued an order banning rallies on campus.

However, we kept gathering in front of the main building, we sang songs, held flags, and posters. I was reprimanded for that, and a dozen professors received warnings. To the best of my knowledge, they can fire you after two reprimands, but I only have one. Although I don’t rule out that any documents could be urgently faked now,” Dulina said.

Despite students’ attempt to initiate dialogue, there have been no negotiations with the new rector Natallia Laptsiava so far. Interestingly, the repressions currently affect professors only, whereas MSLU students have not yet been expelled.

“Several students are serving their sentences in Akrestsina and Baranavichy. We are afraid that their absence will be treated as having no valid excuse. The mother of one of my students went to see the rector to prevent her son’s expulsion. “If I say so, he will be expelled,” was the message from the rector,” Dulina said.

Several dozen professors supported the strike at MSLU. Many have chosen the work-to-rule strike rather than the classic variant: lectures take place, but they discuss topics unrelated to the official syllabus. In September, when MSLU students were detained at the university, 140 professors immediately signed a petition condemning such a situation as unacceptable.
“I decided that I would not resign voluntarily,” Dulina said. She likes her job and does not want to leave it.

“Of course, I don’t regret my choices. What is happening now is outrageous. The logic of their decision is clear, and I have been expecting something of the kind.”

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P.S. On October 30, Natallia Dulina was detained. She is at Akrestsina jail now.

Anatol Bokun, one of the leaders of the Belaruskali strike, was released after 55 days of arrest. In the photo, Anatol and his strike committee mates are on strike near the remand prison in Staryi Darohi, where he was detained.

Photo from Women’s March.

The sign reads: “My son, who is a doctor, and he is detained. While he’s detained, I can’t fight COVID instead of him, but I can fight the system for him.“

Sign reads: “At the Grodno State University you get expelled from under the scalpel.”

A student was expelled while undergoing a surgery. She presented her sick leave note explaining why she missed classes, but was kicked out anyways.

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Shots are heard in this video. People are chanting: “Shame!” and “Tribunal”

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