US conscientious objector Stephen Funk
Use this form to send the letter below to the relevant authority (President George W. Bush, United States of America). You can add your own notes in a separate box after the standard text, if you wish.
You must include a name, address, and email address; a copy will be sent to you with a cc to the WRI office (so we have a record of how many email letters have been sent out for this particular case).
Dear President George W. Bush
I learned today about the conscientious objection of Stephen Funk, who turned himself in to the military authorities in San Jose on 1 April 2003. Conscientious objection is a human right, enshrined in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the United States are a party. Stephen Funk enlised voluntarily in the Marines in February 2002, but during his training it became clear to him that he hadn't "realised the full implications of what he was doing". Funk went absent without authorisation earlier this year, but not to run away, but to prepare his conscientious objection. He now faces prosecution.
I therefore call on you, Mr President, to act immediately in accordance with international human rights standards, and to grant Stephen Funk - and others in a position like him - an immediate discharge on grounds of conscientious objection.
- Sign and send this protest email