Statement by YABLOKO’s Federal Political Committee

12.04.2017

It is already three years that famous scholar Yury Pivovarov, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has been under investigation, although the absurdity of the cases against him is obvious.

Photo: Acad. Yury Pivovarov at a roundtable in YABLOKO, dedicated to 100 years anniversary of the February Revolution in Russia. March 14, 2017

Three examinations conducted by the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the examination conducted by the Investigative Committee of Russia confirmed the innocence of Academician. But instead of closing the criminal case and bringing apologies to the scholar, the Investigative Committee found nothing better than to again accuse Professor under completely fictitious claims.

All this represents harassment: the investigative actions are conducted in an openly boorish manner, and searches are conducted in the apartments of the employees of the Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences under the Russian Academy of Sciences (INION RAN).

As a result, due to all these hideous developments and through the fault of the Investigative Committee of Russia, the scholar has been hospitalized with cardiovascular problems.

A large number of people representing the cream of the Russian intelligentsia and science signed petitions in defense of the scholar.

The YABLOKO party has previously expressed support for the renowned scholar. Yury Pivovarov’s views and statements on history and the modern period do not always coincide with official views imposed on society. The scholar’s too independent stand obviously causes irritation and rejection of some representatives of the authorities, who decided to use the law enforcement system as an argument against Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The YABLOKO party demands from the Investigative Committee to stop the criminal prosecution of Yury Pivovarov, stop all investigative actions against his former employees and apologize to Yury Sergeyevich Pivovarov, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and an outstanding Russian scientist of world level.

Grigory Yavlinsky,

Chair of the Federal Political Committee, YABLOKO