Press Release, September 25, 2013

YABLOKO’s activists Grigory Semyonov, municipal deputy, and Ilya Khandrikov, chair of the All-Russian movement “For fair market”, conducted a serious of one-person pickets outside the Federation Council (upper house of parliament) against the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences. They held the posters which said “The reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a crime against the Russian Science”.

The protesters gathered outside the Federation Council long before the action started. About 200 people came, but the police called the protesters to break up as the action wasn’t legal. The protesters ignored the demands.

“We can see that the law on the reform of the Russian Academy of Science causes protest among both the citizens and academic community. This bill was accepted quickly, without a proper discussion. Despite some amendments, the essence of the law remained the same – it doesn’t solve the problem of lack of financing of the RAS”, said Grigory Semyonov.

According to Ilya Khandrikov, the redistribution of the spheres of interest takes place under the pretence of the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences. “The authorities try to override the scientific institutions”, said Khandrikov.

On September 18 the State Duma adopted the law on the reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences at the third reading. Now the project should be accepted in the Federation Council.

YABLOKO stands against the reform proposed by the authorities and believes that a successful reform can be a result of a broad public discussion.

After the amendments adopted at the second reading the bill was accepted by the three factions: United Russia’s, LDPR’s and the most part of the Just Russia faction. The amendments didn’t change YABLOKO’s position, the reform of the RAS will be fatal to the Russian science.

This was not the first YABLOKO’s faction against the reform of the Russian Academy of Science.