The Russian school No. 19 located in the 8th military district of Gyumri did not comment on the political protest organized by the students in support of Russia, which is at war with Ukraine. We went to a school where we were told that they had no right to comment without the permission of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Their structure is considered closed; they advised us to apply to the press service of the Ministry of Defense. But they recalled that most of the students at the school are the children of the soldiers of the 102nd military base. Of course, Armenian children also attend this school. The photos, where students held the letter Z under Russian flags, caused a stir on the Internet, where users claimed that it is unacceptable to involve children in political processes, especially war. The letter of one of the children appeared on the Internet, who wrote that they had been forced to take part in that action, and when he objected, they asked why he was studying there. Some users demanded the punishment of those who organized the protest, who allowed themselves to involve minors in the topic of war.
Read also
Leon Barseghyan, Chair of the Board of the Asparez Journalists’ Club in Gyumri, advised the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports to finally make a statement and explain all this. He wrote, “A few people, knowing very well that the school that took the children out of the yard yesterday and the Z-shaped school is not subordinate to the RA Ministry of Education and Science, but it is subordinate to the Russian Federation, where mainly children of Russian citizens, including ethnic Armenians, study, do not stop pointing at Gyumri and the people of Gyumri and saying, ‘what a disgrace, why can’t you control it?’ I want to ask, what would you order us to do? Go to the Russian base barracks, destroy that school, or take the school principal hostage, or be satisfied with a curse?… I repeat, I am talking about those who know very well that the school is not a school subordinated to the Republic of Armenia, it is one of the infrastructures of the base, and the people of Gyumri are not to blame for the fact that there is a base and a school here, and there was Permyakov and there is Razgildyayev.”
Artur Sakunts, a human rights activist and head of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly’s Vanadzor office, says that regardless of the fact that the children are citizens of the Republic of Armenia, the Russian Federation or another country, their involvement in war and especially war propaganda is unacceptable. This is a gross violation of the children’s right to education.
According to him, we are a member of the Council of Europe, a member state of the UN, and we have clear obligations to protect the rights of children. The propaganda of the war and the messages can be criminally prosecuted, and the RA authorities must respond to this case, as the case was registered in the territory of the RA. According to Artur Sakunts, the RA Human Rights Defender has something to do here.
Nune AREVSHATYAN
