Discrimination

In connection with the decision of the Supreme Court, the schoolgirl faces transfer to another form of education

Moscow Region

On May 17, 2017, E. Mikhalevskaya, the director of the school in the village of Tomilino (Moscow region), in the presence of the school psychologist and the head of security, officially handed over to the parents of an 8-year-old student a document in which, with reference to the decision of the Supreme Court against Jehovah's Witnesses, she notified of the ban on "all actions that are not related to the educational process" on the school grounds. "If we find a violation of this prohibition," warns the director, " we will be forced to report the violation to the police, to the Department of Education, and raise the issue of transferring the student to another form of education." In response to questions from parents, the director made it clear that she knew about the religion of the family. The girl sang songs of Jehovah's Witnesses, and also talked about God with a classmate.

After the decision of the Supreme Court , this is not the first case of pressure on schoolchildren, incidents took place in Bashkortostan, Rostov and Kirov regions. According to the legislation in force in Russia, parents have a preferential right to the education and upbringing of their children over all other persons. The Family Code imposes the duty of caring for the "spiritual and moral development of their children" on parents.