Data protection authority: Religion on school degrees unconstitutional

Greece's data protection authority (HDPA) ruled that including the religion and nationality of pupils on high school degrees and the Education Ministry's online "myschool" website violates the constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.

The independent authority also said it is illegal to ask parents to submit an official statement declaring their child is not a Christian Orthodox - Greece's dominant religion - in order to be exempted from religion class. HDPA called on the Education Ministry to comply with the decision. 
The question on the legality of the inclusion of religion in official school documents was brought forward by the Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), Greece's oldest human rights NGO, and Greece's Union of Atheists.

"This is a decision that justifies the role of the independent authority as a protector of rights, which works...