Solidarity with The Higher School of Economics (HSE) Community - BASEES Statement on the Proposed Amendments to Internal Regulations at the HSE

www.meduza.io/en/feature/2020/01/21/harmony-not-censorship

It is with genuine concern for the future of academic freedom, critical thinking, and student activism in Higher Education in the Russian Federation that we have learned about the proposed amendments to internal regulations at The Higher School of Economics (HSE). The new rules will prohibit students and staff from mentioning their institutional affiliation when discussing political issues or participating in activities deemed ‘socially divisive’. They will impose clear restrictions on the fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly, and association, leading to censorship of the student media and effectively prohibiting any engagement in political and human rights activism by staff and students. On behalf of the British Association for Slavonic and East European Studies, I would like to express my strong solidarity with the HSE community who are fighting to protect academic freedom at the institution, a cornerstone of which is the right of students to form their own extracurricular organisations. I would encourage BASEES members to sign the open letter by HSE students protesting against these regressive and punitive changes to the internal regulations. The letter with all signatures and comments will be passed to HSE Administration during the Academic Council session of the 24th of January. You can read and sign the letter at www.doxajournal.ru/uni/intersolidarity_letter

Dr Matthias Neumann

President, British Association for Slavonic & Eastern European Studies (BASEES)