Protesting an unjust decision

I chatted today - via e-mail - with Parviz, my former student who was expelled last month for writing about corruption at his university. He sounded defiant - but he also seems resigned to the fact that the expulsion from the university is unlikely to be reversed. I asked about his plans. Parviz said he is contacting international organizations and protesting the decision. I'm posting YouTube footage of a protest held earlier this week. The footage and an article about the case can be found at this site - but it's all in Azerbaijani.

While his case is unusual in one sense - in many ways his situation isn't that odd. He is trapped, like so many Azerbaijanis. I suggested that leaving the country for awhile might be a good idea. It's not an option, he said. And even if it were - what does this mean? That the brightest and most courageous young people must leave the land of their birth?