Armavir teacher complains about his dismissal in connection with rally

Teacher Alexei Romanov reports that school administration persuaded him to resign after a court recognized him as a participant of an unsanctioned rally in support of Alexei Navalny, which took place in Armavir on January 23.

On January 29, teacher Alexei Romanov sent a message about his dismissal to the "Caucasian Knot". "I am fired for participation in the protest action on January 23," the teacher complained.

Alexei Romanov, a 28-yesr-old history and natural science teacher at the school No. 30 in Armavir, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that on January 23, he was going about his business in the centre of Armavir, where a rally in support of Alexei Navalny took place. The teacher was detained by the police, although he did not intend to take part in the protest action. "I am not a supporter of Navalny, and I was not going to participate in the rally. I was just passing by," said Alexei Romanov.

At a trial, a judge recognized the fact that Alexei Romanov pleaded not guilty and claimed he was just passing by and not standing in the crowd of protesters as an aggravating circumstance and the defendant's desire to evade responsibility. The man was sentenced to three days of administrative arrest for petty hooliganism and a 10,000-rouble fine for participating in the rally.

After the teacher had served his term of administrative arrest and returned to work, he was invited for a private conversation with the principal and asked to resign, because the school administration "did not want to get into troubles."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 1, 2021 at 10:21 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.