Dismissing two students from a school in northern Aleppo for drawing Syrian flag

North-Press Agency

On Thursday, the Violations Documenting Center in northern Syria (VDC-NSY) said that the administration of a preparatory school in Azaz, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, dismissed two students in charge of drawing the Syrian government flag.

VDC-NSY added that the school Administration, the teacher of the two students and the Local Council of Azaz considered the matter as a “crime” that deserves punishment by taking the maximum action, which is the dismissal from school.

The decision of dismissing the two students in the 7th grade was posted in the general schoolyard, the matter formed a great incitement to the rest of the students, according to VDC-NSY.

In March, the Turkish affiliated Local Council of Azaz issued a decision of dismissing any student, teacher or employee in the directorate of education who “insult the [revolution or the revolutionaries], or proving support for the Syrian government.”

At the time, the decision was generalized in all schools, institutes, and kindergartens, which means that the decision also includes children in the kindergarten, according to VDC-NSY.

In July 2012, the area of Azaz, in the northern countryside of Aleppo fell under the control of Turkish-backed armed opposition groups, and all institutions now are under the control of the Syrian Interim government, which is the political wing of the armed opposition groups.