Whistleblower Teacher Inspires Help Group
Published: June 6, 2012 (Issue # 1711)
The city’s parliamentary Committee for Culture, Science and Education has decided to organize a support movement for teachers as a result of the court case brought against a St. Petersburg teacher for disclosing information concerning falsifications during the State Duma elections held on Dec. 4.
“Our new movement will be called ‘Citizen Teacher,’ and it will be an institution teachers will be able to appeal to for political, moral and legal help to resist the pressures they experience during elections,” A Just Russia deputy Marina Shishkina was quoted as saying by Interfax.
Last week a St. Petersburg court found Tatyana Ivanova guilty of slander against Regional Board of Education head Natalya Nazarova and ordered the teacher to pay Nazarova 30,000 rubles ($910) compensation.
Ivanova made public information about falsifications that took place during the Duma elections, and said that Nazarova forced teachers to stuff ballot boxes with false ballots in favor of the United Russia party.