Press Release, October 10, 2013

Sergei Pogodin, director of School No 4 in Nelidovo, the Tver region, was dismissed from his post on 8 October, 2013, on the basis of an order from the acting head of the district administration, however, the document did not specify any reason for termination of the labour contract. According to local residents, his dismissal was caused by purely political reasons: in the recent elections of September 8 Sergei Pogodin was number two on YABLOKO’s list in the elections to the City Council of Deputies.

Teachers and parents of the schoolchildren (over 200 in total) are going to send an appeal to President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Governor of the Tver Region Andrei Shevelev demanding to restore justice, as head of the school has copied with his duties very well.

“All the residents of Nelidovo realise that this [dismissal] represents the consequences of the recent elections to the local self-government bodies. Pogodin did not agree to join the banner of the [ruling] United Russia party, but campaigned for the City Council of Deputies from the YABLOKO party and for the District Council as an independent candidate,” said Chairman of the Tver regional branch of YABLOKO Anton Stamplevsky. “Pogodin had already received threats of dismissal before, but he did not pay attention to these, because he considered himself a good specialist”.

According to residents of Nelidovo, Pogodin’s school has made considerable progress for the three years he has been director of this largest school in the district (two buildings, almost 800 schoolchildren): the school was rated the second (after a prestigious high school which creams the most gifted students) as of its students’ academic performance. Pogodin is well known as a talented teacher of computer science, his students enter the leading Russian universities and work in the most prestigious organisations.

The residents of the area submitted an application for a rally in support of the school director for October 21.

“It is extremely important to draw public attention to the problem. This is the only way to achieve justice,” says Anton Stamplevsky.