Students who join the opposition protests will be deprived of the deferment from the army, which is due under Belarusian law.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko announced this today at a meeting at the Ministry of Industry, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“We gave the guys a deferment from the army while they studied at the university. If they don’t want to study, then they have to defend their homeland. Our fatherland is in danger. I imagine what will happen next. They will start reproaching me for intimidating students. No, I repeat: whoever wants to will study and have a deferment. Whoever goes out into the street, well... We will take measures according to the law. The Minister of Defense asked me: if any of the students do not want to study, allow us to draft them into the army. This is one of the options. What’s illegal here?” the president said.
He also said that he is ready to conduct a dialogue with students, and with labor collectives, and with peasants, but not with “the riotous youths who walk the streets and shout that they want dialogue.”
“None of the authorities will sit down at the negotiating table with the street. Here is my clear statement about the dialogue and with whom we will conduct it. If there are sane people from the opposition who see their country as free and independent, you are welcome. Express your position, but on the street. Under pressure from the street, there will be no dialogue in Belarus,” Lukashenko concluded.