Russian Prosecutors Defend Students’ Right to Beards and Tattoos

Russian authorities have lifted a ban on growing beards and wearing tattoos at a local college in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk.

The Novosibirsk Technical College was also found to have operated under an "unspoken rule" that prohibited students from leaving its premises during breaks, local prosecutors said in a statement Thursday.

"The prosecutor’s inspection has revealed that the local legal acts at the college contradict federal legislation because they ban students from wearing a mustache, beard and tattoos," the Novosibirsk prosecutor's office said. 

They determined that school administrators infringed on the students' rights to freedom of movement and expression. 

The inspection was prompted by a complaint from a parent.