Activist and academic Yulia Galyamina fired from Institute of Social Sciences because of new law on ‘foreign agents’

Activist, politician, and academic Yulia Galyamina was fired from her position as professor in the Department of the Theory and Practice of Media Communications at the Institute of Social Sciences of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), after new provisions to the law on “foreign agents” took effect. Galyamina posted her dismissal notice on Facebook.

The document states that Galyamina was fired because of a ban on “foreign agents carrying out educational or pedagogical activities in state organizations.” The provision came into effect on December 1.

Galyamina believes that this is likely “the first instance of the firing of a foreign agent after the adoption of this new, discriminatory law.”

They offered to transfer me to a non-pedagogical and non-research position. But, obviously, that’s an entirely different profession. I can teach students, but I’m not prepared to become, for example, a career development specialist, as they suggested to me. So after being fired, I’m thinking about what to do. And meanwhile I’ll greet the New Year in my new status as basically unemployed.

Yulia Galyamina

• Amendments to the legislation on “foreign agents,” which took effect on December 1, deprive people with this status of a significant portion of their civil rights. Among other things, they are banned from working in the government and being members of electoral commissions, as well as from organizing public events and educating minors.
• Galyamina was declared a “foreign agent” at the end of September.