Editorial

Dear readers of CO-Update.

We wish you all a Happy New Year, and we hope that in 2010 we have on balance more good news to report than bad news about arrest and maltreatment of conscientious objectors.
However, our first issue of 2010 is not a good start, as we don't have any good news: The upcoming trial of a female total objector in Finland, the arrest of a conscientious objector in Turkey, and human rights violations in Russia.

While some progress was made in 2009 for the right to conscientious objection - especially the encouraging judgment of the Colombian constitutional court on conscientious objection - we also have to admit some negative developments: the judgment on the case of Bayatyan vs Armenia by the European Court of Human Rights is only one example. The bad news in this issue, and the many unresolved situations of conscientious objectors all over the world show how important it is also in 2010 to demand the right to conscientious objection, and to support social movements for conscientious objection all over the world.

To continue to do this work War Resisters' International depends on your donations. We therefore kindly ask you to donate to WRI online at wri-irg.org/en/donate-en.htm.

Andreas Speck