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Head of leading Russian university imprisoned for alleged embezzlement

December 14, 2021

Sergey Eduardovich Zuev, rector of the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (MSSES), was arrested on November 9 and is now on trial for allegedly embezzling government funds. Scholars around the world suspect that the charges have been invented to punish MSSES for accepting foreign grants.

December 13, 2021

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President
Russian Federation
Ulitsa Ilyinka, 23
103132, Moscow
Fax: +7 (495) 910-2134
Twitter: @KremlinRussia

Dear President Putin:

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to protecting and advancing human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues around the world.

This communication concerns Sergey Eduardovich Zuev, who has been the rector of the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (“MSSES”) for the past ten years. Under his leadership, the university has developed a strong reputation as a leading global research institution, one of the best in Russia for the humanities and social sciences.

Zuev was arrested on November 9 and is now on trial for allegedly embezzling 21 million rubles of government funding for projects carried out by MSSES.

The Committee is concerned that these charges are intended to punish MSSES for accepting foreign grant money. Many scholars, including academics from the Russian Academy of Sciences, have voiced support for Zuev and expressed disbelief that he has done anything illegal.

We write to urge you to ensure that Zuev is treated fairly, especially in light of his advanced age and the fact that he suffers from coronary heart disease. He must be allowed to return to house arrest or a hospital and to have independent legal representation. We further urge that whatever legal proceedings are held in his case meet international standards for fair trials. If the charges are simply political in origin, he must be released immediately and unconditionally.

Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. We will closely follow developments in this case.

Sincerely,
signatures
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich,
Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

Cc:
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520
Phone: (202) 647-4000
Twitter: @ABlinken

Ambassador Anatoly Antonov
Embassy of the Russian Federation
2650 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20007
Phone: (202) 298-5700
Fax: (202) 298-5735
Email: rusembusa@mid.ru
Twitter: @mfa_russia

Tatyana Moskalkova, Human Rights Ombudsperson
of the Russian Federation
Ulitsa Miasnitskaia, 47,
Moscow, Russian Federation, 107084
Fax: +7 (495) 607-7470 / +7 (495) 607-3977

Ambassador John J. Sullivan
United States Embassy
Bolshoy Deviatinsky Pereulok Number 8
Moscow, Russian Federation, 121099
Phone: +7 (495) 728-5000
Fax: +7 (495) 6728-5090

Filed Under: Russia Tagged With: Sergey Zuev

Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Paul H. Plotz, M.D., Washington, DC

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Astronomy – Arno Penzias, New Enterprises Associates*

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

Computer Science – Jack Minker, University of Maryland, College Park

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Medical Sciences – J. Joseph Blum, Duke University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deceased), Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser, Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy, University of Pittsburg

David Gross, (2004 Nobel Prize in Physics), Kavil Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara*

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

Walter Kohn (deceased), University of California, Santa Barbara*

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Louis Nirenberg, New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Honorary Board Members

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, (1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine), New England Biolabs*

Myriam Sarachick, City College of New York

Harold Scheraga, Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Steven Weinberg, University of Texas, Austin*

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

Rosalyn S. Yalow (deceased), Mount Sinai School of Medicine*

* Nobel laureate

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Committee of Concerned Scientists

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