Teachers Threatened

RUSSIAN TEACHERS THREATENED

By Stephen Wilson 

            On the follow up to a recent plebiscite which took place from the 25th June to 1st July to vote for or against 206 Amendments to the Russian Constitution, a survey undertaken by the Russian trade union 'Teacher', found that many school teachers had either been ordered to vote by their headmasters and in worse cases, instructed to vote 'yes' for the new constitution. Unless teachers obeyed certain directives sent to them they felt they would either lose their

jobs or obtain less work. This is despite the fact that the very constitution they are voting for explicitly states that it is illegal to either force people to vote in elections or pressurize voters to vote in a particular way.

 

            'There were no violations in the Election for a new Constitution ' declared a bold headline on the front page of the newspaper 'Metro' which any passenger entering the subway can casually pick up. In addition, the head of the Human rights body, Ella Pamfilova declared the 'election' had seen the lowest number of violations and the plebiscite had been fair and transparent.' Complaints by the independent voting body 'Golos' were brusquely dismissed as largely 'fake'.

            Russians had been asked to vote either 'Yes ' or 'no' to endorse as many as 206 amendments to the Federation of the Russian Constitution. Most Russians had neither the inclination or energy to read through all the amendments. Instead, they were bombarded with all kinds of dull slogans such as 'Vote for Stability, Order and prosperity', 'vote to defend the true memory of our war veterans ' and 'Defend

the old values of the family' and 'Sovereignty'. Voters were offered the chance to win one of a million prizes on offer such a vouchers which would offer them a discount to the theater or for travel. The most topical amendments were to preserve

the traditional family by upholding a ban of gay marriage, and defending the legacy of the Great Patriotic War against detractors who claim the Soviet Union was as much to blame for the outbreak of the war as Nazis Germany. The most significant amendment to this constitution is that people can vote for the existing president until 2036. As many as 78% 'voted' to endorse the new changes.

 

            Not all voters uncritically endorsed the vote. "I have no objection to voting to allow Putin to be elected again. He has given us stability. But what I don't agree with is that I am being asked to vote for some amendments I don't agree with it. You either have to click 'Yes' or 'No' and that is that. I'd like to have the right to either vote for or against each amendment separately," a Russian businessman told me. Many Russians thought voting was just a waste of time as the result had always been a foregone conclusion.

 

            What was very conspicuous was the absence of any campaign for a 'no' vote. All the leaflets, newspapers and media focused on the 'yes' campaign. Only the odd newspaper such as Novaya Gazeta  and bloggers on social sites have expressed strong misgivings. I witnessed two young school children who were attempting with difficulty to pin up posters on voting booth signs calling for voters to boycott the election. They failed to do this. The poster was quickly removed or blown away by the wind. It looked pathetic.

 

            The independent Monitor 'Golos ' reported over 2000 violations and this is probably the icing on the cake. The trade Union 'Teacher ' undertook a survey of some Russian    schools and discovered that in more than ten schools in Moscow they found cases where school teachers were either being pressurized to vote or told to 'vote yes' by their heads. Should school teachers not register to vote at a particular site they risk either being fired or having their pay and hours cut. In the worst scenario they could be placed on a blacklist. The lawyer of the Union 'Teacher' said that " Two active members of the Union told us that the Teacher's Collective had sent a message underlining the necessity of participating in this election. This was still March, but however, after the introduction of self -isolation regime things went quiet. However, in recent days again there have been directives sent saying that whoever has not registered for the electronic vote, won't work in school. We have explained that this is not the only incident. Among schools, where there was this widespread call to vote was the Lyceum Vorobyi Gori and other incidents where they asked us not to name them or the number of their schools. " In other words, vote in the plebiscite or lose your job! In some cases school teachers were informed by their head that they must vote in the election to set a good 'moral example' to their school students!

 

            Such blatant and unconcealed violations of voting rights make a mockery of the past, and in deed, existing newly amended Constitution of the Russian Federation

which contains articles strictly forbidding forcing people to vote in elections as well as pressurizing them to vote in a particular way. The past Constitution of the Russian

Federation was one of the best in the world. Under Article 29 everyone is entitled to Freedom of Thought and Speech and nobody has the right impose their views on other people. 

Under Article 31 people have the right to gather and protest. Article 37 declares forced labor is forbidden and workers are protected from unfair discrimination or abuse of any kind. Article 41 offers everyone the right to free medical care and Article 43 the right to education. However, there is a vast

discrepancy between the principles and practice. Cynics state the Constitution is a paper tiger. However, the Civic Assistance Committee which aids refugees and migrants successfully won cases where they secured the right for the children of refugees to enroll in Russian state schools. And the stress on Article 43 of the Constitution played a significant part in winning some legal cases where the heads

of schools were refusing to admit children to study at state schools. So we should not cynically overlook or dismiss the laws enshrined in the Constitution but struggle to enforce and implement them. We should sincerely strive to live up to the vision.

            If the government and everyone in Russia made a great effort to honestly observe the spirit of the constitution this would be a far better country.  And that would be

something to truly boast of!

 

           {The good news is that the old articles enshrined in the Old constitution on free speech , assembly , the right to education and health have not been removed by any amendments. The situation could have been far worse.}