Volgograd: "Molodaya Gvardiya" asks university rectors to report on their political views

In Volgograd, the local branch of the "Molodaya Gvardiya of Edinaya Rossiya" (Young Guard of United Russia) Party has requested rectors of higher educational institutions and student leaders to provide the information about their political views, as well as their mobile phone numbers and links to their accounts in social networks. The rectors believe that the organization violates the law on personal data.

The regional headquarters of the "Molodaya Gvardiya of Edinaya Rossiya" has addressed the rectors of the major higher educational institutions with a formal appeal on statistical research, aimed at "popularization of the student community in the territory of the region and in the federal media".

According to the text of the appeal, members of the "Molodaya Gvardiya of Edinaya Rossiya" are primarily interested in "political orientation" of the rectors and the information about loyalty to the power from members of "the official student organizations." Furthermore, the organization also asks to specify the number of student leaders and their contact details, including their profiles in social networks and their mobile phone numbers, the "Kommersant" reports today.

The rectors refuse to fill in the questionnaire and express their indignation about the actions of the "Molodaya Gvardiya of Edinaya Rossiya".

"I've got the feeling that young people have confused the year of 2016 with the 1930s and that they want to turn professors, academicians and doctors of sciences to political informers. I have no other idea to explain such questions about my political orientation or loyalty to the authorities by the student associations," the Volgograd edition "V1.ru" quotes one of the rectors of the Volgograd city-hero universities as stating.

Another rector of one of the higher educational institutions has noted that members of the "Molodaya Gvardiya of Edinaya Rossiya" may expect no answer, since their appeal concerns the information, the disclosure of which is a subject to the law on personal data."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.