Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna regrets awarding a fellowship to a Ukrainian nationalist

The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) operating in the Austrian capital refused to allow the right-wing Ukrainian activist Olena Semenyaka to engage in research at its expense under the program "Ukraine in European Dialogue". At first, the institute accepted her application, and now "deeply regrets".

“IWM strongly condemns and dissociates itself from the extreme right-wing statements and actions of Olena Semenyaka, who was supposed to start her work at the institute on a fellowship this month as part of the Ukraine in European Dialogue program,” one may read on the website. “We are currently conducting a review of our decentralized process for the award of fellowships to better understand how Ms. Semenyaka’s political activities escaped the attention of the concerned jury. We regret the fact that the partial information available to the jury led to a fellowship award that the jury itself, in the light of the now available information, has decided to revoke. We are strengthening mechanisms to avoid any such outcome in the future”.

The decision to deprive her of a scholarship followed an application to the institute by the Director of the Ukrainian Jewish Committee Eduard Dolinsky. He informed the leadership of the research center about Semenyaka's right-wing radical activities and fascist sympathies. Besides, the other day the Time published a story how Ukrainian nationalists from “Azov” recruit right-wing radicals from all over the world through social networks.

Recently, IWM announced a new scholarship holder from Kiev. She was awarded a scholarship of 1,800 euros per month. The course was supposed to take place in January-June 2021. Semenyaka could have received more than ten thousand euros.