The Greek Authority for the Protection of Personal Data (ASCPS) ruled on Wednesday that the inclusion of religion and citizenship in primary and secondary school registries and degrees as well as the requirement for a negative registration are contrary to the Constitution, the ECHR and European legislation.
The registration of a school child as “not Christian Orthodox” as a condition of exemption from the religious doctrine is against the European Laws, the ASCPs ruled and called on the Ministry of Education & Religion to modify the relevant provisions and circulars.
The Hellenic Association for Human Rights has contributed to the adoption of this decision by submitting a complaint in 2018. The Association of Atheists has also brought its own complaints in 2017 with the ASCPS.
As regards religion, the Authority had already issued a similar binding decision in 2002, the Hellenic Association for Human Rights notes in a press release.
” We would like to remind you that in the comprehensive Proposal for a Law “State-Church, Clean Roles” that had been publicized by ELEDA since 2005, it was proposed to prohibit the inclusion of religion in any public document, except for a few exceptions where it is lawful to do so. Seventeen years after the first ASCP decision, and countless governments have since failed to deliver on this self-evident requirement of the rule of law, the HAHR stresses.
As in other areas of human rights protection, the development encounters resistance inherent in a society with Greek particularities. But even so, with delays and regressions, institutional rights watchdogs have the opportunity to show their good selves, as the Personal Data Protection Authority has already done, and we hope that justice will do as well,” the press release concludes.
Education Minister, Niki Kerameos, told media that she has been not formally informed about the decision and is awaiting for the formal briefing. She added that the Council of State was also about to rule for the registration of religion on the high-school diplomas.
“School diplomas certify the level of knowledge. Religion and ethnicity have nothing to do with the level of knowledge, so they are unnecessary,” said former SYRIZA Education Minister Nikos Filis. “It is also unconstitutional and contrary to the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, as these constitute sensitive personal data,” he added.
“The Personal Data Protection Authority has put an end to an anachronism, which, paradoxically, survives many years after resolving the same issue with the IDs, even though the country faces condemnation by the competent European institutions, ” Filis added.
PS The ACPS ruling comes just as the conservative New Democracy government and the pious Education Minister were trying to elevate teaching of Christian Orthodoxy in schools to a new level.
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