Statement by the YABLOKO party on reprisals against the Levada Centre

The Levada Centre is listed among the organisations forced to register as “foreign agents” after prosecutors’ audits.

The admonition came from the Savelovskiy District Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Analytical article and sociological surveys of one of the most respected Russian research centres were considered as falling under “conducting political activities”.

Once again, we have smelled a stench of Stalinism.

The authorities have expressed their “respect” to researchers and academics in the requirement to brand themselves as foreign agents. In 1930s outstanding academics labeled as “enemies of the people” were forced to confess in being a “foreign agent”, [a spy].

Such an attitude to science demonstrates that all declarations of supporting science on behalf of state bureaucrats are shameless lies needed for covering of projects for stealing the federal budget money, such as [the Innovations Centre] Skolkovo.

The real politics of our state towards science means a jeering destruction of science rather than its support.

A research centre which for 25 years of its functioning has earned a brilliant reputation of an independent sociological service, one of the few that can be trusted, is being liquidated.

The authorities clearly indicate that they need only such a sociology which will on their order “draw” unrealistically high ratings for the top officials [of the state].

The YABLOKO party demands from the Moscow Public Prosecutor’s Office to abrogate the decision of the Savelovskiy District Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Hands off from sociologists!

Sergei Mitrokhin,

YABLOKO Chairman