Press Release, 30.03.2022

Boris Vishnevsky, MP of the Legislative Assembly of St.Petersburg from the Yabloko faction, held a debate with Svetlana Agapitova, the Commissioner for Human Rights in St. Petersburg, about the expulsion of students for their participation in anti-war actions. The question was asked during the Ombudsperson’s annual report to the St.Petersburg parliament.

Boris Vishnevsky drew the attention of the city Ombudsperson to gross violations of the rights of citizens during protests against the “special operation” in Ukraine, including the rights of students who were about to be expelled from their universities even before the court decision could come into force. Such were the cases of students of St. Petersburg State University and the First Medical University. Vishnevsky noted that such actions of the heads of universities violated the Law “On Education” allowing disciplinary sanctions only for violations related to the educational process.

Svetlana Agapitova said in response to the deputy’s question that students, by their participation in protest actions, could violate the charter of the educational institution, but the office of the Commissioner was ready to provide assistance to the students in case of their requests.

“We did not get such complaints [from the students]. Maybe we will receive such in the near future, but students sign a kind of a contract when they enter a higher educational institution. There are certain clauses [in the contract] relating, among other things, to public activities, etc. As far as I understand, as far as a university is concerned, it is even envisaged in the charter [of a university] that a violation of the charter is similar to the violation of the laws of the Russian Federation. So far, we have not had any mass appeals on this topic, but if there are any, we are ready to work on them and advise,” Svetlana Agapitova explained.

The Ombudsperson also added that mass detentions during protests and expulsions of students for speaking out against the “special operation” in Ukraine could be explained by the fact that the state is protecting “its own values”.

“You probably remember that such a state is… It is a sovereign organisation of public power, which has a control and coercion apparatus, which subordinates the entire population of the country. Now the state is forced to defend itself, to protect its own values,” Svetlana Agapitova added.

BORIS VISHNEVSKY

is Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko Party, member of the Yabloko Federal Political Committee and  Bureau and an MP of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg