Madrid, Spain, Sep 24, 2009 / 16:26 pm
A civil rights organization in Spain is praising two rulings by the Supreme Court of Castilla y Leon exempting three students from taking the Education for the Citizenry course. The group said it hopes that the other 285 cases still pending will be similarly decided.
Salamanca For Freedom in Education praised the court for allowing the three students to opt out of the controversial school course, with no negative effect on their grades.
In the Spanish province of Castilla y Leno, some 3,395 cases of conscientious objection to the course have been filed, making it the province with the highest number of cases.
Francisco Jose Ramos Vega, who represents most of the students and their parents, said the rulings show that Spain’s Supreme Court has not settled the question of conscientious objection to the course Education for the Citizenry. He also said the rulings could be applied in other autonomous communities where there are cases pending.
A spokesperson for Salamanca for Freedom in Education explained that the rulings constitute “a victory for parents in the defense of their freedom and in their struggle for the education of their children according to their convictions.”