At the General Assembly and Annual Conference of the European University Association (EUA) taking place in Istanbul, the President of the Lithuanian University Rectors’ Conference (LURK) and Rector of Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), Prof. Dr. Inga Žalėnienė, called on EUA members to stand in firm solidarity with the European Humanities University, which is facing pressure from the Belarusian regime, and to actively defend academic freedom as a fundamental condition for democracy and trust.

According to Prof. Dr. I. Žalėnienė, who conveyed LURK’s position to European academic partners, the decision of the Supreme Court of Belarus to designate the European Humanities University, operating in Vilnius after being exiled from Belarus, as a “terrorist organization” is not merely an attack on a single institution. “It is a direct challenge to academic freedom, university autonomy, and the principles on which trust in democratic societies is built,” said the LURK President.

“At a time when we are rethinking the relationship between universities and democracy, such actions remind us that trust cannot exist where academic freedom is suppressed and higher education becomes politicized,” Prof. Dr. I. Žalėnienė emphasized in her address at the conference.

At the 2026 EUA Annual Conference, held on April 16–17 in Istanbul, Turkey, and organized by Yeditepe University, European university leaders and experts are discussing key factors influencing university cooperation, geopolitics, technological advancement, sustainable development, and economic challenges, as well as the role of universities in strengthening democracy in a changing context.

The conference also addresses the evolution of university partnerships: cooperation between institutions, with the public sector, industry, and other partners at local, national, and international levels.

LURK statement: https://lurk.lt/lurk-pareiskimas-del-baltarusijos-rezimo-paskelbusio-europos-humanitarini-universiteta-ekstremistine-organizacija/