Estonia’s Tallinn University (TLÜ) has revoked the Emeritus status of Rein Müllerson, an internationally recognised expert in international law and a member of the Institut de Droit International in Geneva, following his participation in a legal conference organised by the Russian justice ministry.
The decision, made by TLÜ’s Senate – the collegial decision body of the institution – on September 16, came after 17 Senate members raised concerns about Müllerson’s involvement in the 2024 St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.
They argued that his attendance violated university policy and could damage the institution’s reputation, particularly in light of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
As of February 2022, days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, TLÜ halted co-operation with Russian and Belarusian institutions, research organisations and universities.
“Academic communities around the world, including Russia and Belarus, have a moral responsibility to stand up for peace, academic and democratic values,” said Mart Kalm, Chairman of Universities Estonia in the joint statement.
That decision apparently caused some controversy in the teacher and student body.
“It was not that most professors at Tallinn University welcomed this cessation of co-operation with Russian scholars,” Müllerson told Brussels Signal.
Despite the university’s decision, Rein Müllerson attended the 2024 St. Petersburg International Legal Forum the Law as a legal expert.
Müllerson expressed disbelief over the ruling, claiming it undermined the principles of academic freedom.
“As an academic institution, academic freedom, freedom of speech and the freedom to travel is particularly important. Maybe for other professions, it is not so important to exchange views with different people and visit … different countries but it is a part of my job to communicate with people who have different ideas, different views,” Müllerson told Brussels Signal.
He said he viewed the decision as an example of what he described as “cancel culture à la Estonia” taking root in the country and argued that it had more to do with political ideology than academic concerns.
“There are no sanctions taken against my colleagues in the UK or other Western countries who also visit Russia,” he noted, contrasting his experience with those of his peers.
Müllerson further warned against severing all cultural, scientific, and academic ties with Russia, which he said could be harmful in the long run and was not the way forward, especially for Estonia.
“It’s dangerous. Russia has historic ties with the West, including Estonia. I believe it’s wrong to cut off all contact with Russian scholars and professionals. It’s simply not the way forward,” he told Brussels Signal.
According to the TLÜ rector Tõnu Viik, the decision to annul Müllerson’s the status of professor emeritus was a matter of respecting the university policies and was not about politics.
“The decisions and agreements made by the university must be respected, and in this case, the Senate found that Professor Müllerson disregarded the university’s agreement regarding cooperation with Russian institutions,” Viik said, as quoted by Estonian Public Broadcaster (ERR).
“I want to emphasise that the TLÜ Senate respects the principle of academic freedom and will not penalise anyone for their political views.
“Although academic freedom allows university members to raise and discuss even publicly unpopular or incomprehensible positions without administrative interference, exercising this must be balanced with the responsibility we bear as members of the university and as citizens,” he added.
In a letter sent to the university and seen by Brussels Signal, Müllerson justified speaking at the Russian forum.
He said his presentation focused on legal issues in the war in Ukraine. One of the main points he said was to demonstrate that in the conflict “there were no innocent participants”.
He expressed his belief that political authorities in Ukraine, the US and the UK have been involved in the conflict and claimed they had broken international law along with Russia.
That was an idea he broached in a research article titled Ukraine: Victim of Geopolitics and published in 2014.
Müllerson also noted that while the organisers of the event paid for his travel and stay in Saint Petersburg, he did not receive personal payment for attending the forum.
Estonian journalist Svetlana Burceva has been charged with treason after writing and publishing a book in Russia entitled "Hybrid war for peace. Where will the 'Battle of Kursk' take place?" under the pseudonym LB Svet. https://t.co/V9SfjnYrO4
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) August 9, 2024
