In framework of permanent co-operation with UN bodies, our Association sent the submission to UN Special Rapporteur on the right to education, Ms. Farida Shaheed, regardng issues of academic freedom and freedom of expression in educational institutions for next report to the UN Human Rights Council to be presented in June 2024.
ARC’s submission, prepared by Professor Borys Babin and PhD Yana Tytska and published on UN web-sourses stressed, that scientific and educational diversity, also as academic freedom is impossible for realization in Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine, and freedom of education, training and research is banned there by Russian “administrations”.
All “scientific researches” and “academic activities”, “allowed” on Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine, are directly subordinated to aggressor’s propaganda, sabotage and military interests, like industrial espionage, using third countries’ students as a tool for agressor’s intelligence activities.
Submission stated that the occupation of the Crimea led to aggressor’s systematic criminal attempts to use the so-called “universities” and “scientific institutions” of the peninsula to promote the ideas of the “Russian world” in third countries. In addition, such illegal “universities” “scientific institutions” are used by the aggressor to attempt further militarisation and bypass sanctions. De-facto it made impossible any feature of “autonomy” or “self-governance” for Russia-controlled “educational institutions” at all tiers of education or researh.
Submission reminded that all Russia-controlled “universities” are subject to total surveillance by invaders’ “administration” for alleged “terrorism and extremism prevention” at the same time it did not prevent the “Kerch Polytechnic College” massacre was a school shooting and bomb attack that occurred on 17 October 2018, when allegedly 18-year-old “student” Vladislav Roslyakov killed 20 people and wounded 70 others before “committing suicide”.
Submission stressed, that in ARC researches we described scams of “administration” with funding on “security systems” and “security guard services” in illegal “Crimean Federal University”.
Submission pointed also that new wave of authoritarian repressions against “educational process” and any elements of academic freedoms started during Russia’s preparations for illegal “presidential elections” that were fabricated in Russia-occupied territory in February-March 2024.
Strong pressure in this area was committing on “lectors and students” via “university administrations” digital networks, “students chats” and other offline and online forms of communications to demand “vote for Putin”, as aggressor-controlled “educational institutions and structures” were used by Russian invaders as key tool of “electoral” scams.
