Conscientious objector Soufiane Ababou
Use this form to send the letter below to the relevant authority (President of the Republic and Minister of Defense Abdelaziz Bouteflika). 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 Abdelaziz Bouteflika,
I am writing to you about Algerian conscientious objector Soufiane Ababou (N° de matricule militaire: 2005522100984), who has not returned home from the military tribunal on 30 January 2011, and is feared being recruited against his will.
As a pacifist, Soufiane Ababou refuses military service, making use of his human right under article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). As a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Algeria is under an obligation to provide for conscientious objection to military service as a legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Not to provide for the right to conscientious objection would be a violation of article 18 of the Covenant.
In addition, I fear for the health and safety of Soufiane Ababou. He suffers from kidney failure, and needs medication, which might not be available to him in military arrest.
I therefore urge you to respect human rights, and to immediately release Soufiane Ababou.
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