Release CO Jhonatan David Vargas Becerra

Señor Juan Carlos Mejía Gutiérrez

Director de Reclutamiento y Control de Reservas

Bogotá

Warm greetings.

We write you to express our worries for Jhonatan David Vargas Becerra, a student and youth leader of the Central Foursquare Church of Barrancabermeja, Santander, who was detained the evening of Sept 4, 2014.

Jhonatan was recruited by the National Army against his will on March 16, 2013, and was transferred to the 28th Battalion ASCP Bochica in Puerto Carreño, Vichada. Jhonatan has always expressed that that his religious convictions do not allow him to engage in violence or belong to armed groups, and therefore he has refused to perform obligatory military service.

We know that Jhonatan David meets the requirements outlined by the Colombian Constitutional Court in Sentence C-728 of 2009 to invoke the right of conscientious objection to military service. Jhonatan has begun his theological and secular studies, has finished leadership studies and has maintained a clear stance rejecting violence in all of its manifestations. This has been certified by General Pastor Superior Abigail Mlacker and other members of his church. Jhonatan’s family also testify to his deep, fixed and sincere convictions.

For these reasons we want to state our support for Jonathan David Vargas Becerra and his family. We  kindly ask you to:

1. Protect the fundamental right to conscientious objection to military service as established in Sentence C-728 of 2009. That they protect the right to freedom of conscience and religious freedom as established in articles 18 and 19 of the Colombian Constitution.

2.Release Jhonatan David Vargas Becerras and grant him C.O. status ending his need for military service and respecting his right to conscientious objection.                                                                                        

Sincerely,