Vladikavkaz school student persecuted for a social media comment

Police came for a 9^th grade student of one of the public schools in Vladikavkaz on 1 May. The reason of their visit was the teen’s comment on social media. He commented on a post suggesting to organize an anti-corruption rally in his city on 12 June (Russia Day) as follows: “It’s a normal theme [a worthy cause -ed]. Let’s join it.”

The police officers (Counter-Extremism Department) demanded that the school student give them his cell phone, delete all his comments and post a denunciation. However, the teenager refused to comply with their demand, reasoning that it was against his principles.

Afterwards, he and his mother were taken to the police department, where they were warned that they would be under the surveillance by the special services.

Alexander Navalny, an organizer of the 12 June protest rallies, wrote on his blog as follows: “I’m proud of that schoolboy who said ‘I won’t delete it, since it’s against my principles’.”