The Children of 'Crimean Spring' and the Right to Education Under
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FACULTY OF LAW Lund University Anastasiia Vorobiova The Children of ‘Crimean Spring’ and the Right to Education under Belligerent Occupation JAMM07 Master Thesis International Human Rights Law 30 higher education credits Supervisor: Jessica Almqvist Term: VT 2021 Table of content Summary....................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... 4 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... 5 Preface .......................................................................................................................... 6 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 8 1. Contextualization and clarifications ....................................................................................... 8 2. Purpose and the research questions .................................................................................... 10 3. Relevance ................................................................................................................................. 11 4. Limitations ............................................................................................................................... 12 5. Research method and principal sources ............................................................................. 13 6. Outline of the structure .......................................................................................................... 15 Chapter 1. Legal status of the Crimea ............................................................................. 16 1.1. Historical and contextual background with detailed overview of 2014 events ............. 16 1.2. Is Crimea occupied? The legal status of the Crimea ....................................................... 26 1.2.1 General overview ............................................................................................................. 26 1.2.2. ICJ approach.................................................................................................................. 28 1.2.3. ICC approach .................................................................................................................. 30 1.2.4 ECtHR approach .............................................................................................................. 31 Chapter 2. Interplay between the IHL and IHRL during occupation ............................ 34 2.1. IHL&IHRL: complementarity, co-applicability or irresolvable tensions?....................... 34 2.2. IHL& IHRL during occupation ............................................................................................. 38 2.3. ESCR during occupation ..................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 3. The right to education under occupation: general remarks, application and problem areas ............................................................................................................. 45 3.1. Normative content ................................................................................................................ 45 3.2. Education under occupation .............................................................................................. 50 3.3 Aims of education ................................................................................................................. 56 3.3.1. General analysis ............................................................................................................. 56 3.3.2. Curriculum....................................................................................................................... 59 3.3.3 Application in casu ........................................................................................................... 61 3.4. Parent’s rights to direct children’s education .................................................................. 67 3.4.1. Whose right is it anyway? ............................................................................................... 67 3.4.2. Best interests vs. evolving capacities ............................................................................. 70 3.4.3. The parents and the child: whose convictions are protected? ....................................... 72 3.4.4. Exemptions: are they enough? ....................................................................................... 75 3.4.5 Application in casu ........................................................................................................... 77 3.5 Prohibition of indoctrination in light of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion .................................................................................................................................. 80 3.5.1. Root causes of prohibiting indoctrination as such .......................................................... 80 3.5.2. Defining indoctrination .................................................................................................... 81 3.5.3 Freedom of thought and conscience: prohibiting indoctrination ...................................... 83 3.5.4 Forum internum................................................................................................................ 85 3.5.5. Application in casu .......................................................................................................... 87 3.6. Possible remedies ................................................................................................................ 91 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 96 Bibliography ............................................................................................................... 99 2 Summary Education is one of the key components in developing identity, personality and a sense of belonging in the time of peace. But when weaponized by the states as a tool of indoctrination, education becomes a highly effective instrument of war, contrary to the relevant rules prescribed by the international humanitarian and international human rights law. This weaponization of education was widely employed by the totalitarian regimes of the XXth century and is currently reinvented by the Russian Federation, which instills its “military-patriotic education” within the territory of the occupied Crimea. This thesis aims to fill a gap in the research on scope and implementation of the right to education in light of the military indoctrination techniques employed by the Occupying Powers towards civilian populations of occupied territories. The case study of the Russian Federation’s ongoing occupation of the Crimean Peninsula with its “military-patriotic” education instilled within local institutions is used to analyze the relevant provisions of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The main argument is built on three constitutive elements: 1) that the Crimean Peninsula is currently under belligerent occupation of the Russian Federation which exercises effective control over the peninsula; 2) consequently, the law of occupation (as a lex specialis) is applicable on its territory, together with international human rights law; the latter functions as an interpretative tool to help elucidate the specific scope of obligations of the Occupying Power towards civilian population of the Crimea, including the right to education; 3) therefore, Russia’s obligations as an Occupying Power include but are not limited to providing education consistent with the aims prescribed by the ICESCR; to ensure education consistent with the parents’ religious and philosophical convictions; and to refrain from pursuing indoctrination as a part of obligations under the right to freedom of thought and conscience. This analysis concludes that actions of an Occupying Power (such as in the Crimean example) that alter the curricular to instill military-patriotic indoctrination in the educational institutions of the occupied territory, are contrary to international law and require an effective and prompt response. The right to be free from military indoctrination goes beyond respecting parents’ convictions or general considerations of the aims of education. Above all, education is integral to child’s overall development as a free and independent individual in terms of the freedom of thought and conscience. Education must not be weaponized by an Occupying Power in an attempt to mentally ‘legitimize’ the occupation, as it is absolutely prohibited both by international humanitarian and human rights law to pursuing the aim of indoctrination to form allegiance to the objectives of the Occupying Power. Key words: militarization, Crimea, occupation, rights of the child, education, indoctrination, Yunarmia 3 Acknowledgements This story began 5 years ago, when I’ve made myself a promise to obtain an LLM degree abroad. It seems like I stayed true to myself: but it would never be possible without the love and support of the best people around me. First of all, I want to thank the Swedish Institute for choosing me as a Visby Scholarship holder and making the dream of studying in Sweden a reality. And this reality would never be so