ISRAEL: Women CO Laura Milo back in prison

On Monday 23 August, Israeli women CO Laura Milo went to prison for her second prison term of 14 days, after the Israeli Supreme Court rejected her petition to be granted exemption from military service for reasons of conscience on 9 August.

In an open letter published in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz on 23 August - the day she went to prison - Lauro Milo writes:

"I'm going to jail today. If the authorities don't get wise at the last moment, I'm going to languish in jail for an undefined period, until the army decides that I have "paid my debt to society". I'm going to jail today, and therefore will have to stop doing social and educational work, I'll be going in to a totally depressing environment instead of being an involved person. Some of my partners in this country have lost their moral compass, and I refuse to come to terms with that. Injustice has been done here, not only to me but also to citizens who have honestly declared what their conscience tells them. Injustice is being done to all those who refuse to shirk responsibility and become mere cogs in a system that destroys us as a society and as individuals. Those who have gone before me are already paying the price for insisting on making their contribution according to their conscience and not against it. This isn't a case of civil disobedience; rather we are following our consciences. This is my one and only conscience, which tells me what is right and wrong; I don't have another. All I ask is to continue my community service that I have done for two years, in Yeruham, in the old neighbourhoods of Ashkelon, in Kiryat Moshe in Rehovot, in Jesse Cohen, Holon, in the Katamons of Jerusalem, in Shlomi, Acre and other places that have need of me. It's a simple request that should be acceptable. Why should I have to fake my way, or lie in order to be allowed to do things according to my lights? Doesn't the state understand that it harms itself with this base behavior? For the great ideals of a democratic society should be to encourage active and critical citizens. The IDF and the Supreme Court have managed to turn the fact that we are political people into a curse. This shouldn't be my country's way. I'm not a destructive virus, and I won't allow anyone to turn me into one. I am a young idealistic woman who struggles for her obligation and right to take an active part in shaping a just society - an Israeli society that pursues justices and places people in a central place. I believe that every person has a sense of justice, which is pure and beautiful, and they only need to be reminded to use it. I believe in people, and not even the IDF and the Supreme Court can take that away from me."

Lauro Milo is imprisoned in Military Prison 400, and is due to be released on 5 September. As she is alone in prison, she needs your moral support. Emails can be sent to danielmilo@barak-online.net .

War Resisters' International calls for letters of protest to Israeli authorities, and Israeli embassies abroad. An email letter can be sent at http://www.wri-irg.org/co/alerts/20040831a.html.

War Resisters' International calls for the immediate release of Laura Milo and all imprisoned conscientious objectors.

Andreas Speck
War Resisters' International

Addresses
Shaul Mofaz
Minister of Defence,
Ministry of Defence,
37 Kaplan st.,
Tel-Aviv 61909,
Israel.
e-mail: sar@mod.gov.il or pniot@mod.gov Fax: +972-3-696-27-57 / +972-3-691-69-40 / +972-3-691-79-15

Commander of Military Prison No. 4,
Military Postal Code 02507
IDF, Israel
Fax: +972-3-957-52-76

Commander of Military Prison No 6
Military Prison No 6
Military postal number 01860,
IDF, Israel.
Fax: +972-4-869-28-84

Addresses of Israeli embassies can be found at http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/israel1.htm

Addresses of Israeli media:
Ma'ariv:
2 Karlibach st.
Tel-Aviv 67132
Israel
Fax: +972-3-561-06-14
e-mail: editor@maariv.co.il

Yedioth Aharonoth:
2 Moses st.
Tel-Aviv
Israel
Fax: +972-3-608-25-46

Ha'aretz (Hebrew):
21 Schocken st.
Tel-Aviv, 61001
Israel
Fax: +972-3-681-00-12

Ha'aretz (English edition):
21 Schocken st.
Tel-Aviv, 61001
Israel
Fax: +972-3-512-11-56
e-mail: letters@haaretz.co.il

Jerusalem Post:
P.O. Box 81
Jerusalem 91000
Israel
Fax: +972-2-538-95-27
e-mail: news@jpost.co.il or letters@jpost.co.il

Jerusalem Report:
Fax: +972-2-537-94-89

Radio (fax numbers):
Kol-Israel +972-2-531-33-15 and +972-3-694-47-09 Galei Tzahal +972-3-512-67-20

Television (fax numbers):
Channel 1 +972-2-530-15-36
Channel 2 +972-2-533-98-09