Latvian Teacher Detained for Helping his Students Learn History

Latvian authorities have received a complaint from the $4-worth history book’s author and decided to detain a history teacher who uploaded the manual on his portal in order to help his students learn. As a result, the teacher risks getting 2 years of prison time, a huge fine or being forced to work for his community.

The Latvian teacher P?vels Jurs is recognized by his colleagues as a young mind whose intent is to help his students get the data they need through the Internet. This is why the history teacher had put up a service where his students were able to access history topics, presentations, and get other kind of help they might need to learn history. The teacher wanted to provide with education not only for his students, but also for people who cannot afford buying books, even if they are as cheap as $4. By the way, the teacher’s “pay it forward” technique was recognized by the Latvian Ministry of Education, according to the local mass-media reports.

However, these facts didn’t matter to the Economic Crime Bureau: 4 police officers detained the professor after searching his house and seizing his PC. P?vels Jurs faced 2 hours of questioning, after which he was informed that he was guilty of a serious offense that could get him 2 years of prison time (for a $4 dollar book). This is considering that he didn’t profit from uploading the book, except maybe a few “thank you” notes from bookworms and pupils.

In the meantime, his portal was shut down, leaving his students without necessary information right during their exams. The teacher cannot understand the reason for such a punitive action against his methods of teaching, including the maintenance of the website from which he didn’t receive any benefit. On the contrary, he spent most of his salary payments for its maintenance. P?vels Jurs understands that he has violated copyright legislation, but believes that it is not necessary to act this way. Perhaps, the authorities should better pursue bootleggers in the streets instead of the teachers trying to help people get education?

The local media informed that a settlement was discussed, but no details were disclosed thus far. Hopefully, the court will understand the teacher’s intents.