Dr. Hanna Vasilevich is a researcher and academic currently based at the International Centre for Ethnic and Linguistic Diversity Studies in Prague, where she serves as Board Chair. Dr. Vasilevich has been a Visiting Research Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, UK, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Law & Anthropology Department of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle/Saale, Germany. Before she worked at the European Centre for Minority Studies (Germany) and taught in a number of Universities in Czechia and Germany.
Ethnic discrimination or persecution, Gender-based violence/domestic violence, Healthcare access/health systems capacity, Journalist persecution, LGBTQ, Mental illness, Military/police service, Political persecution, Prison conditions, Religious discrimination or persecution, Government/state actor persecution, Sufficiency of protection, Torture
My expertise encompasses a range of human rights and political issues, particularly concerning Belarus and other post-Soviet states. I am a recognized expert with the Rights in Exile Programme, through which I have contributed country expert reports and affidavits for six asylum cases for Belarusian citizens originating from the USA and the UK. Furthermore, I collaborated with the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities for 18 months, preparing reports on inter-ethnic relations in Kazakhstan, including coverage of ethnic Kazakh refugees from China. Since 2019, I have been a regular contributor to annual reports documenting the situation of the Muslim minority in Belarus.
My engagement with Belarusian political analysis extends back to 2010, encompassing conference presentations, publications, and public lectures. Since 2012, I have participated in numerous projects addressing ethno-cultural diversity, equality, and non-discrimination in Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova. Additionally, since 2017, my work has focused on Roma discrimination in Slovakia and Czechia, encompassing issues such as access to education and medical services, ghettoization, and coercive sterilization.
Peer-reviewed articles:
Trapped in the Quadratic Nexus: the Role of the Language Issue in Ukraine’s Conflict. Hungarian Journal of Minority Studies, VII (2024, accepted, forthcoming).
Russian World” and Compatriots’ Policies: A View from the Other Side. Hungarian Journal of Minority Studies, III: 143-167 (2020). https://bgazrt.hu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/7.Vasilevich.pdf.
Transnistrian Nation-Building: A Case of Effective Diversity Policies? (w/ A.Osipov). Nationalities Papers, 47(6): 983 - 999 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1017/nps.2018.26.
Czech Republic Acknowledgement of Belarusian and Vietnamese as new minorities (w/ K. Kascian). European Yearbook of Minority Issues, 12: 353-371 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004306134_015.
Belarusian Language: Current State and Perspectives. Annual of Language & Politics and Politics of Identity, VI: 77-93 (2012). https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=276615.
Edited volumes:
Policies of Ethno-cultural Diversity Management in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine: between Soviet Legacies and European Standards (w/ M. Biaspamiatnykh, A. Osipov, F. Prina and I. Pushkin) [in Russian] (Vilnius: EHU, 2014) (incl. Vasilevich, H. “Diversity Policies in Ukraine”, pp. 187-236).
Minority Issues in the Republic of Belarus, Europe and the World (w/ A. Osipov) [in Russian]. (Minsk: Medysont, 2012).
Book chapters:
Belarus, in: Račius, E. et al (eds.) Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, 16 (2025), forthcoming).
Belarusian Protest Art, in: Chuchvaha, H. and A. Myzelev (eds.) Towards Decolonizing Eastern European and Eurasian Art and Material Culture: From the 1800s to the present (2025, forthcoming).
Roma educational discrimination in the Czech Republic and Slovakia: Patterns and tactics of social mobilization to overcome it, in: Topidi, K. and E. Pastor (eds). Minority Rights and Social Change: Norms, Actors and Strategies across the Globe (Hart Publishing, 2024). https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003394280-10/ro…;
Russian Orthodox Church and Migration in Russia: When Hell Is Paved with Good Intentions (w/ K. Kascian), pp. 205-222, in: Medda-Windischer, R., K. Wonisch, and A.C. Budabin (eds.) Religious Minorities in Pluralist Societies: Critical Perspectives on the Accommodation of Religious Diversities (Leiden: Brill, 2024). https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004446816_010.
Belarus, in: Alibašić, A. et al (eds.) Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, 15: 81-93 (2024).
Belarus, in: Akgönül, S. et al (eds.) Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, 14: (2023): 78-96. https://doi.org/10.1163/2588-9737_ymeo_com_142021blr.
Policies of the Republic of Belarus towards Belarusian language before 1995 [in Russian], pp. 67-77, in: Bohn, T.M, and V. Shadurski (eds). Republic of Belarus (1990–1996): from a parliamentary republic to an authoritarian regime (Cracow: Miles, 2022)
Belarus, in: Müssig, S. et al (eds.) Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, 13: 68-83 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1163/2588-9737_ymeo_com_132020blr.
Belarus, in: Račius, E et al (eds.) Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, 12: 83-95 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1163/2588-9737_ymeo_com_122019blr.
Belarus, in: Scharbrodt, O. et al (eds.) Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, 11: 88-100 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1163/2588-9737_ymeo_com_112018blr.
Belarus, in: Scharbrodt, O. et al (eds.) Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, 10: 95-105 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1163/2588-9737_ymeo_com_102017blr.
Transnistria: a Geopolitical Challenge within a Changed Regional Status, pp. 211- 220 in: Bátor, P., and R. Ondrejcsák (eds.) Panorama of global security environment 2015-2016 (Bratislava: STRATPOL, 2016).
Linguistic Rights in Belarus: Law and Practice, pp. 147-167, in: Kuzborska, E. Integration and exclusion: Linguistic rights of national minorities in Europe (Vilnius: Artprint, 2016).
Belarus and Poland: Autochthonous Minorities in the Borderland, pp. 33 - 49, in: Gaitanides, Ch., and G. Grözinger (eds.) Diversity in Europe, vol. 4.1 (Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2015). https://doi.org/10.5771/9783845258546-33.
The Eastern Partnership Initiative: 5-year results and future perspectives, pp. 201-212, in: Segert, D. (ed.). Civic Education and Democratisation in the Eastern Partnership Countries (Bonn: Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, 2016) (Note: this book has English and Russian versions, see pp. 227-240 of the Russian version of this chapter).
Eastern Partnership Initiative: 5 years results and future perspectives?, pp. 27- 40, in: Bátor, P., and R. Ondrejcsák (eds.) Panorama of global security environment 2014 (Bratislava: CENAA, 2015).
Conflict and Unity, pp. 131-160, in: Malloy, T. (ed.). Minority Issues in Europe: Rights, Concepts, Policy (Berlin: Frank & Timme, 2013).
Majority as Minority - a Comparative Case of Autochthonous Slavs in Lithuania and Hungarians in Slovakia after the Second World War, pp. 99-122, in: Danero Iglesias, J. et al. (eds.). New Nation-States and National Minorities (ECPRPress, 2013).
Belarusian Values: New Values or the Hidden Soviet Ones?, pp. 450-463, in: Prudký, L. (ed.). Values, Stratification, Transformation (Prague: Aleš Čeněk, 2012).
Baltarusija: naujų ar tik paslėptų sovietinių vertybių šalis? [Belarus: a country of new or only hidden Soviet values?], pp. 235-242, in: Rubavičius, V., and, Ž. Gaižutytė-Filipavičienė Nacionalinis tapatumas medijų kultūroje [National identity in media culture] (Vilnius: LCRI, 2011) [in Lithuanian].
Authoritarianism versus Democracy in Belarus: Does National Identity Matter?', pp. 77-100, in: Bosold, D. et al. (eds.). Democratization and Security in Central and Eastern Europe and Post-Soviet States (Baden-Baden: Nomos, 2012).
- The Image of Belarus and the Belaruian People in Presidential Speeches, pp. 188-195, in: S. Doucette (ed.) Returning to Europe: Belarus Past and Future (Warsaw: Łazarski University Publishing House, 2011).
The Phenomenon of Lukašenka: How Belarus Broke with Democracy? (w/ K. Kascian), 239-260, in: W. T. Bagatelas et al. (eds.), Studies in Contemporary International Relations and Politics: New Europe and Beyond (Opladen: Budrich UniPress, 2010).
Chapters in conference proceedings:
Belarus: Minoritarization of the titular language?, pp. 100-115, in: Schrammel-Leber, B, and Ch. Korb (eds). Dominated Languages in the 21st Century: Papers from the International Conference on Minority Languages XIV (Graz: University of Graz, 2015).
Policies of linguistic diversity in Belarus, pp 80-83, in Bubnau Y. M., V H. Mazec, A. G. Osipov, I.A. Pushkin, and M. U. Smiakhovich (eds.) Ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity in modern society: Collective volume of scientific works of the International scientific and practical conference, May 29-30, 2014 [in Belarusian] (Mahilioŭ: Mahilioŭ State University of Foot Technologies, 2014).
Managing Language Diversity in Belarus, pp. 59-61, in: Senyushkina T.A., T.E. Vasilevskaya, E.A. Senyushkin and E.V Chernyi. Ethnicity and Power: Collective Memory and Technologies of Identity Construction: Materials of XII international seminar, May 20-25, 2013 in Yalta [in Russian] (Sevastopol: Veber, 2013).
Public reports and working papers:
Participation of national minorities in public life including their interaction with public authorities (w/ A. Osipov) (2022). ECMI Report #72. https://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/redakteure/publications/documents/report_….
Ensuring equality on ethnic grounds in Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine. Normative framework, organizational underpinnings, and civic mechanisms (w/ A. Osipov) (2022). ECMI Report #71. https://www.ecmi.de/fileadmin/redakteure/publications/documents/report_….
Mapping Integration Indicators A Reference Tool for Evaluating the Implementation of Ljubljana Guidelines-based Policy (2020). Report commissioned by the HCNM OSCE. https://webassets.eurac.edu/31538/1621957111-report-mapping-integration… (Note: my contribution was focused on and limited to the analysis of relevant indexes in the post-Soviet countries).
The phenomenon of Transnistria as a model of post-Soviet diversity policy (w/ A. Osipov), ECMI Working Paper No.96 (2017).
Belarusians In Poland: Assimilation Not Implied By Law, ECMI Working Paper No.80 (2014).
Vasilevich, H. 'Lithuania's minority-related legislation: is there a legal vacuum?', ECMI Working Paper No.70 (2013).
Conference proceedings:
“Peaceful Revolution? Reclaiming Democracy in Belarus,” Virtual ASN Webinar, Association for the Study of Nationalities. The Harriman Institute, 2020. https://nationalities.org/virtual-asn/reclaiming-democracy/.
Other analytical publications:
Belarus’s Day of National Unity: reinforcing regime narratives and alienating minorities (2024). New Eastern Europe, November 7, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2024/11/07/belaruss-day-of-national-unity-r…;
The impact of western sanctions on Belarus (2024). New Eastern Europe, September 20, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2024/04/08/belarus-and-russia-not-in-one-bu…;
Belarus and Russia: not in one but different baskets (2024). New Eastern Europe, April 8, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2024/04/08/belarus-and-russia-not-in-one-bu…;
Litvinism: when history becomes securitized (2024). New Eastern Europe, March 7, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2024/03/07/litvinism-when-history-becomes-s…;
A referendum in the shadow of war (2022). New Eastern Europe, July 14, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/07/14/a-referendum-in-the-shadow-of-wa…;
The Belarusian migrant crisis and state propaganda (2022). New Eastern Europe, March 14, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/03/14/the-belarusian-migrant-crisis-an…
Constitutional Reform in Belarus: Feasible Changes or an Imitative Process? (2021). International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance/Constitution Net. https://constitutionnet.org/news/constitutional-reform-belarus-feasible…;
Constitutional reform process in Belarus: recent trends and developments. New Eastern Europe, 5(48): 61-66 (2021).
Belarus-Poland relations: minorities caught in-between (2021). The Loop. ECPR’s Political Science Blog, April 27, https://theloop.ecpr.eu/belarus-poland-relations-minorities-caught-in-b…;
Constitutional reform in Belarus: Consolidation or conflict? (2021). New Eastern Europe. March 3, https://neweasterneurope.eu/2021/03/03/constitutional-reform-in-belarus…;
Belarus is in an unprecedented political crisis with no resolution in sight (2020). The Loop. ECPR’s Political Science Blog, November 17, https://theloop.ecpr.eu/belarus-is-in-an-unprecedented-political-crisis….
Belarusian National Identity: What Did the 2020 Protests Demonstrate (2020). Regard sur l'Est, October 12, https://regard-est.com/belarusian-national-identity-what-did-the-2020-p…;
Belarus-EU Dialogue: Towards More Pragmatism? (2014), Regard sur l'Est, June 19, https://regard-est.com/belarus-eu-dialogue-towards-more-pragmatism