The Broken Rifle

Unbelievable but true: Howard will be leaving the WRI staff next September after many years in the office -- we won't tell you how many years, as it might hurt his feelings! Having recently been awarded a fellowship by the Einstein Institute in the US, he will be doing research on the nonviolent movement in Kosov@. In the meanwhile we are looking for a new staff person to take on programme and finance work in the London office. You have already received our job advert in a separate mailing last month.

Get ready for Council! Council starts on the evening of Saturday, 21 June, and finishes on Friday evening, 27 June.

A first mailing containing a draft agenda, practical information and a registration form has already been sent to WRI affiliates and their representatives on the Council. A revised agenda will be circulated early in May. If your organisation is not a WRI affiliate, you are welcome to send an observer to our meeting.

Here is a quick overview of the programme to whet your appetite:

15 May -- International Conscientious Objection Day:
Focus on Turkey ECOM 97 -- 12-14 June, Norway State of Spain: insumisión in the Barracks Amnesty International launches a campaign on the right to Conscientious Objection in Europe

Turkey: International support continues to be vital for Osman and ISKD

ELOC 96 in Guatemala Preparations for ELOC 97, Quito, Ecuador, 25-31 August 1997 First Bilateral Youth Meeting Peru-Ecuador -- Quito, 20-23 August

ELOC 96 in Guatemala

The Third Latin American Conference on Conscientious Objection (ELOC 96) took place last year in Guatemala City, from 20 to 26 October.

While the powers sees former-Yugoslavia at peace, the Balkan Peace Teams in both Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have been witnessing the tensions. Otvorene Oci ("Open Eyes" - the team in Croatia) still has an office in Split and has moved the other office from Zagreb to Karlovac. The Karlovac office has reported three explosions aimed against Serbs: on 24 February (this only made page 4 of the local newspaper!), and two others on 28 February and 2 March after a demonstration against Serbs returning from FRY to Vojnic.

ARK activist nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Vesna Terselic of the Anti-War Campaign of Croatia has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She has been proposed by the International Peace Bureau along with Selim Beslagic, former Mayor of Tuzla, and Vesna Pesic, leader of the Civic Alliance in FRY. Already this has catapulted Vesna T. (an individual member of the WRI, as well as coordinator of ARK) into public prominence.

Alba Kör (Hungary): http://freeside.elte.hu/albakor

Amnesty International: http://www.amnesty.org

European Bureau of Conscientious Objection (Belgium): http://www.club.innet.be/~ind2088/ebco

Institute for War & Peace Reporting (Britain): http://www.demon.co.uk/iwpr

Pat Finucane Centre (Northern Ireland): http://www.serve.com.pfc

Peace Pledge Union (Britain): http://www.peacepledge

Servicio International de Paz (SIPAZ): http://www.nonviolence.org/sipaz

Gathering Visions, Gathering Strength -- 4-6 April, Leeds, Britain

A weekend gathering to explore nonviolent action in Britain across movements and across generations will be held at Leeds University. Workshops will cover the past, present and future of nonviolent action, discusion topics including: developing nonviolent practice, relations with to the police and the legal system, building and sustaining movements. Participants will come from a variety of movements, including peace, animal rights, environmental and human rights campaigns.