Rights watchdog says elementary school students have right to rally

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, July 29 (Yonhap) -- The human rights watchdog said Thursday it warned an elementary school for violating the rights of its students by stopping their protest.

The National Human Rights Commission said teachers violated the students' right
to freedom of expression by tearing up their pickets and stopping them from
gathering, as students should be able to protest or hold rallies on issues that
affect them.
A group of students at the elementary school in eastern Seoul had picketed at the
school's main gate before class hours to protest the dismissal of a teacher who
was disciplined for boycotting a standardized scholastic aptitude test in
December 2008. Teachers tore up the pickets and forcibly broke up the protest.
The commission said this was an infringement on the students' rights as they were
protesting "peacefully before class without encroaching on the rights of others
or damaging public facilities."
"Children's right to freely express their opinions should be restricted only for
reasons of national security, public safety, public health, or protection of
rights and freedom of others," the commission said in a statement.
The protest occurred in the aftermath of the government's decision to revive the
state-administered scholastic aptitude test in 2008 after 10 years amid
controversy over its purpose and effectiveness. Some teachers and parents,
including the dismissed teacher, boycotted the test by going on field trips
instead.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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