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I find this decision by ETAPS shocking. I was considering attending ETAPS 2022, and I will not go. I view scientific research as a universal pursuit of knowledge in the benefit of humankind. We are funded by nations, but we work together on a shared goal. (This is not just me, this is also a definition used by UNESCO.) Preventing scientific researchers from attending a scientific event runs counter to that goal, and is a clear limitation of academic freedom. I don't think that ETAPS can justify its decision according to those principles. I don't know how this decision, which concerns the whole scientific community (not just ETAPS board members) has been taken, and I don't see any detailed justification of it publicly available. Limiting participation in scientific activities is a grave decision that should be justified carefully, announced well in advance, and provide clear avenues for affected people to understand how to regain their ability to participate. I don't see any such justification and processes here. In these difficult times I find it useful to look for external confirmations that my view of research matches other peoples' reality as well. Please find at the end of this email some relevant excerpts from UNESCO texts that I happened to find easily. Preventing people from participating in academic conferences is not an economic sanction, it is not comparable to McDonalds stopping business in Russia. We should also be careful about comparisons with sports: international sports are a *competition*, while international research is mostly collaborative -- with competitive aspects as well. (I wasn't aware of the precedent in South Africa which I find very interesting. But I still find it a fairly different situation: South African scientists were living in an Apartheid society for years, whereas we are talking of an unprovoked war that is less than a month old. We should also absolutely avoid trying to make decision on the publicly perceived opinions/support of our colleagues working in Russia -- they live in a country where spreading "misinformation about the special operations" can send you to jail.) Of course, working for all of humankind is one aspect of international research, but there are also aspects of our work that advance national or regional interests. I understand the argument that institutional affiliations are a form of soft power, and that they are, in small part, empowering our institutions and nations. ETAPS could have decided to disallow researchers from indicating a Russian affiliation (or even to not track affiliations at all, for everyone, in support of global peace and as a reference to our universal values). As far as I know, this would not have run afoul of the general principles of equal access to science and academic freedom. None of this should be taken as a minimization of the immense pain caused by the tragedy going on in Ukraine right now due to Russia's unprovoked war. I'm sure that ETAPS could find ways to indicate their support of the Ukrainian people, and all people affected by this war. Here in France we have a national initiative (the PAUSE programme run by Collège de France : https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.college-de-france.fr/site/en-program-pause/Presentation-of-the-program.htm__;!!IBzWLUs!Faih7fEiuqHGj0gHXJugoZ0DWjGZpLM1D8VQmRhhPdjNUplx_k2OlPAWYIyuqC-qxiZXde6S0h4$ ) to host scientists and artists in exile. Our hierarchy signalled that funding would be available for people displaced by the war in Ukraine; if you are concerned and would like to come work in France, please get in touch with colleagues working in French institutions. (The institutions hire the displaced scientists, funded by the programme.) ---- Paragraph 31 of the UNESCO 2018 document "Recommendation on science and scientific researchers" states: Member States should actively promote the interplay of > ideas and information among scientific researchers throughout the world, > which is > vital to the healthy development of the sciences; and to this end, should > take all > measures necessary to ensure that scientific researchers are enabled, > throughout > their careers, to participate in international scientific and > technological community. > Member States should facilitate this travel in and out of their territory. > Paragraph 14.b of the 2021 Unesco Recommendation on Open Science states: Equality of opportunities: all scientists and other open science > actors and stakeholders, regardless of location, nationality, race, > age, gender, income, socio-economic circumstances, career stage, > discipline, language, religion, disability, ethnicity or migratory status, > or any other grounds, have an equal opportunity to access, and > contribute to and benefit from open science. Paragraph 27 of the 1997 UNESCO statement on Academic Freedom includes: The maintaining of the above international standards should be > upheld in the interest of higher education internationally and > within the country. [...] Higher-education teaching > personnel are entitled to the maintaining of academic freedom, > that is to say, the right, without constriction by prescribed > doctrine, to freedom of teaching and discussion, freedom in > carrying out research and disseminating and publishing the > results thereof, freedom to express freely their opinion about > the institution or system in which they work, freedom from > institutional censorship and freedom to participate in > professional or representative academic bodies. All > higher-education teaching personnel should have the right to > fulfil their functions without discrimination of any kind and > without fear of repression by the state or any other source. > To me it is clear that banning researchers from attending conferences based on their location of employment violates these principles. On Tue, Mar 8, 2022 at 7:33 PM Neel Krishnaswami < neelakantan.krishnasw...@gmail.com> wrote: > [ The Types Forum, http://lists.seas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/types-list > ] > > The ETAPS website ( > https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.etaps.org__;!!IBzWLUs!HUevd2N5Ms-2WYC1sMdH93ef4xxRy4BjZ9KD0I8SPwLGGpv-Rk7u_Emgl9qMMyLGK4ex90o0Cm0$ > ) has the following text on its > front page: > > > The ETAPS association strongly condemns the war against Ukraine > > launched by President Putin. It is an intolerable breach of > > international law and a crime against humanity, unfolding in Europe > > now. Therefore, until further notice, ETAPS 2022 cannot accept > > registrations from affiliates of Russian research institutions or > > companies. > > While I'm as opposed to illegal wars of aggression as anyone else, this > feels like a serious mistake. > > There are many Russians (such as Jetbrains corporation) who have taken > the serious personal risk of publically opposing the war, and barring > them from our conferences due to their nationality feels wrong to me. > > It may well be that the financial sanctions regime means that > registration payments cannot be accepted, but that is quite different > from barring them personally. > > What do the rest of you think? > > Best, > Neel >
