CO UPDATE

Editorial

This is the fourth issue of our CO Update e-newsletter, and it is a few days early - for two reasons.

Firstly, this issue will give you some updates on Prisoners for Peace Day 2004, with a focus on conscientious objection in Finland.

Secondly, there are very pragmatic reasons: as part of War Resisters' International's activities for Prisoners for Peace Day, the editor of this newsletter will be visiting Finland, and will meet with CO activists and parliamentarians, to discuss the situation of conscientious objectors in Finland.

But Finland is not all there is in this issue of CO Update. We also report on pacifist prisoners in the Republic of Korea, and the situation of conscientious objectors and draft evaders in Eritrea, which is not well known so far. With the formation of a new organisation of Eritrean antimilitarists in exile in Germany, this will hopefully change in the future, and War Resisters' International hopes to be able to publish extracts from a new German booklet also in English, French, and Spanish soon. Voluntary translaters are welcome to contact the WRI office.

Upcoming events

1 December - Prisoners for Peace Day

This year's focus: conscientious objection in Finland

The special edition of WRI's The Broken Rifle, incorporating the annual Prisoners for Peace Honour Roll, is available online in English, German, French, and Spanish. Please contact the WRI Office if you require print copies, or feel free to download the material from our website, and make your own copies. Please note that there is a special online list of Korean prisoners for peace.

War Resisters' International also published a special report on conscientious objection in Finland for the United Nations Human Rights Committee. This report is available on this site.

Please let the WRI office know what you are planning for Prisoners for Peace Day. We suggest:

• On 1 December, put aside at least one hour and write at least four cards to prisoners;
• Get your peace group or class or meeting place to organise a card-writing session;
• Set up a stall in your town centre, perform street theatre, or do whatever else it takes to attract attention and interest.

15 May 2005: International Conscientious Objectors Day

Focus: conscientious objection in Greece. WRI and the Greek Association of COs are organising an international seminar, nonviolence training, and action in Thessaloniki from 9-15 May 2005. Contact WRI for more information.

WRI Seminar 2005 in South Korea

In cooperation with several partner organisations from South Korea, War Resisters' International is preparing for its 2005 seminar and Council meeting, which will take place in or close to Seoul in June 2005. The theme of the seminar will be "Peace in North-East Asia". The Korean groups started a website on the seminar, which will carry updated information. Information is also available on the WRI website.

Seminar: 26-29 June 2005
WRI Council Meeting: 30 June-2 July 2005.

Housmans Peace Diary 2005 available

The Housmans Peace Diary 2005 will be available from mid-November, and can be ordered now through the WRI webshop. The Housmans Peace Diary includes the Housmans World Peace database, and has a week-to-a-view diary. You can order a copy of the diary on WRI's webshop, or on the single copy order page.

CO-Update

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War Resisters' International, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX, Britain; tel +44-20-7278 4040; fax +44-20-7278 0444; email co-update-editor@wri-irg.org

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1 December 2004 - Prisoners for Peace Day

Imprisonment of conscientious objectors in Finland

The focus of Prisoners for Peace Day 2004 is the imprisonment of conscientious objectors in Finland. Finland, a member state of the European Union, continues to imprison conscientious objectors who refuse to perform a substitute service which is punitive in length. And the number of imprisoned conscientious objectors is growing - now standing at about 70-80 annually.

As Kaj Raninen from the Finnish Union of Conscientious Objectors points out, Finnish militarism is a heritage of the Second World War, a heritage that lives on even 15 years after the end of the Cold War. It is therefore important not only to demand from Finland to bring the law on conscientious objection in line with European and international standards, but also to support Finnish COs and antimilitarists in their struggle against the special Finnish variant of militarism, which is caught in the past.

In September 2004, War Resisters' International published a report on "Imprisonment of Conscientious Objectors in Finland", and submitted the report to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva, which examined Finlands' human rights record in its autumn session. In its concluding observations, the Human Rights Committee took on board WRI's two main concerns: That Finland only recognises the right to conscientious objection in times of peace; and the punitive length of Finland's substitute service. We hope that with the backing of the UN, Finland will now finally improve its regulations for conscientious objectors, so that WRI's Prisoners for Peace Honour Roll won't list imprisoned conscientious objectors from Finland any longer.

The Prisoners for Peace Honour Roll lists prisoners from many different countries, but at it is certainly far from being complete. The main purpose of the list is to raise awareness for the continued imprisonment of peace activists and conscientious objectors all over the world, and to generate support. Please take a few minutes on 1 December to write greeting cards to prisoners - and give generously to War Resisters' International, so that we can continue to support prisoners for peace.

The unedited version of the concluding observations of the UN Human Rights Committee is available in French at http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/%28Symbol%29/674dea2d9acbe4adc1256f43005b3e55?Opendocument

South Korea: More than 750 conscientious objectors in prison

After the rulings of the Korean Supreme Court and Constitutional court earlier this year, the Korean courts are now picking up on trials against conscientious objectors. More than 750 conscientious objectors are in prison on Prisoners for Peace Day. Besides Jehovah's Witnesses and 7th Day Adventists, also the number of pacifist conscientious objectors is on the rise. On 15 November, seven pacifist COs were in prison.

O Taeyang (30), a pacifist and buddhist. He declared his conscientious objection publicly on 17 December 2001. On 7 February 2002, a court decided that he would be not imprisoned while awaiting trial - this was the first time in any conscientious objection case in South Korea. On 19 June 2002 his trial was adjourned until after the decision of the Constitutional Court, but the case was reopened on 17 May 2004. On 30 August 2004 he was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months imprisonment, and arrested in court. Although he is appealing against the sentence, he is presently in detention:
Address: (138-600) #1725, Oh Taeyang, Seongdong detention center, P.O. box 177, Songpa Post Office, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Im Chiyun (26), a pacifist. He declared his conscientious objection publicly on 30 July 2002. He was detained on 11 September 2002, but released on bail a few weeks later, in October 2002. On 26 August 2004 his case was reopened (after having been adjourned to wait for the decisions of the Supreme and Constitutional Courts), and he was sentenced to 1 1/2 years imprisonment on 7 September 2004. He too was arrested in court, and is presently in detention, while he awaits the outcome of his appeal.
Address: (617-737) #1588 Lim Chiyun, Busan Detention Center, P.O. box 58, Sasang Post Office, Busan, Republic of Korea.

Na Donghyeok (28), a pacifist and activist with World Without War, a group of conscientious objectors and their supporters. He declared his conscientious objection publicly on 12 September 2002, and was sentenced on 10 December 2002 to 1 1/2 years imprisonment. On 14 January 2003, he was released on bail by the court of appeal. On 31 August 2004, the original sentence of 1 1/2 years was confirmed by the Court of Appeal, following the decisions of the Supreme and Constitutional Courts. He is now appealing to the Supreme Court, but is held in detention awaiting his appeal. A declaration of Na Donghyeok was published in last years Prisoners for Peace edition of The Broken Rifle.
Address: (435-600) #2360 Na Donghyeok, Seoul Detention Center, P.O. box 20, Kunpo Post Office, Kunpo, Kyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.

Im Seonghwan (29), a pacifist and publisher of the progressive magazine 'Outsider'.
He declared his conscientious objection publicly on 1 July 2003, and was not detained during his trial. On 8 September 2004, he was sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison, and arrested in court. He is appealing against the sentence, but presently held in detention.
Address: (153-600) #2576 Lim Seonghwan, Yeongdeungpo Detention Center, P.O. box 164, Keumcheon Post Office, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Im Taehun (30), pacifist, chair of the LGBT group of Amnesty International's South Korean section.
Publicly declared his conscientious objection to military service on 22 July 2003. He was detained on 26 February 2004, and was sentenced to 1 1/2 years imprisonment on 29 April 2004. On 9 September 2004, the appeal court also sentenced him to 1 1/2 years in prison. He is currently appealing to the Supreme Court, although chances are not very high.
Address: (435-050) #3318 Im Taehun, Seoul Detention Center, P.O. box 20, Kunpo Post Office, Kunpo, Kyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea

Kang Cheolmin (24), conscientious objector to the deployment of Korean troops in Iraq.
Kang Cheolmin entered the army on 7 July 2003. On 21 November 2003, the last day of his military leave, he held a press conference and declared his conscientious objection in protest against the deployment of Korean troops in Iraq. On the same day he began a sit-in in the National Council of Churches in Seoul.
On 28 November 2003, after a second press conference, and during a march to the residence of the President of Korea, he was arrested. A court martial sentenced him to 2 years imprisonment on 27 December 2003. On 23 March 2004, the High Military Court reduced his sentence to 1 1/2 years in prison. He went on hunger strike for 7 days on 22 June 2004, to protest against the dispatch of Korean troops to Iraq.
Address: (630-705_ #551 Kang Cheolmin, Masan Prison, P.O. box 7, Masan Post Office, Masan, Republic of Korea

I Wonpyo (27), pacifist and member of the Socialist Party.
He publicly declared his conscientious objection on 23 August 2004. He is presently in detention at the Daejeon prison while his case is being investigated.

Source: Email Jungmin Choi, Korea Solidarity for Conscientious Objection
A full list of South Korean prisoners is available at http://wri-irg.org/pubs/pfp04-koreans-en.htm

Eritrea: Army rounds up draft evaders / Connection e.V. releases booklet on Eritrea

Amnesty International reported on 9 November that thousands of people arrested on suspicion of evading military conscription and held at the Adi Abeto army prison are thought to be at serious risk of torture and ill-treatment. According to an AFP report, the military rounded up and arrested thousands of youths and others suspected of evading military conscription on Thursday, 4 November 2004. Amnesty International reports:

"Those arrested were taken to Adi Abeto army prison just outside Asmara. Conditions in this military holding centre are harsh, with severe overcrowding, little food or sanitation. Many detainees have reportedly been forced to sleep outside in the very cold weather without blankets or shoes. Prisoners have no access either to their families or to lawyers.
Towards midnight on 4 November, a prison wall was apparently pushed over by some prisoners, possibly in an escape attempt. Soldiers opened fire and shot dead a number of the prisoners, wounding many more. On 8 November, the Minister of Information said that two prisoners had been killed. Other sources claim at least a dozen people were killed, and that bodies were buried without being returned to their families. Those wounded were taken to hospital and held incommunicado under military guard. "

Several young Eritreans, who asked not to be named, told AFP on Thursday (4 November 2004): "These roundups started in 1998. They were severe during the war. Since 2002, they had been declining, but right now they're increasing. Soldiers go into offices, houses, stop cars, taxis, buses, and ask for identity cards."

Many young men and women flee the country to avoid military service, and UPI reported only a few days later that Yemeni security forces have arrested 10 Eritrean army deserters after they illegally entered Yemen from the Red Sea (UPI, 13 November 2004).

The German-based organisation Connection e.V. joined forces with Eritrean refugees in Germany who formed an Eritrean Anti-militarism Initiative, and published a booklet on desertion and conscientious objection in Eritrea. The core of the booklet are interviews with refugees about the situation in the Eritrean military.

The UNHCR describes the situation in Eritrea regarding military service as follows:

"According to the Eritrean law, national military and development service is compulsory for 18 months for both men and women aged between 18 and 40. In practice, it has become indefinite as no meaningful demobilisation has taken place so far. There is no right to conscientious objection. The government has deployed military police throughout the country using roadblocks, street sweeps, and house to house searches to find deserters and draft evaders. The government has also reportedly authorised the use of extreme force against anyone resisting or attempting to flee. There have been reports of resistance, especially by parents of draft age girls, which resulted in deaths of both soldiers and civilians. In some instances, authorities are said to have arrested or detained for several hours or even days individuals, including pregnant women, children under age 18, and citizens of other countries, who were not subject to national service obligations or had proper documentation showing they had completed or were exempt from national service. It is reported that the army resorted to various forms of severe physical punishment to force objectors, including some Jehovah's Witnesses, to perform the military service. The punishments used against deserters, conscription evaders and army offenders reportedly included such measures as the tying of hands and feet for extended periods of time and prolonged sun exposure at high temperatures."

Sources: Amnesty International Urgent Action, UA 301/04, 9 November 2004
UNHCR: Position on return of rejected asylum seekers to Eritrea, January 2004
Connection e.V./Eritrean Anti-militarism Initiative: "Es gibt keine Möglichkeit, Widerstand zu leisten - nur abzuhauen". Eritrea: Desertion und Kriegsdienstverweigerung, 2004.

Hungary suspended conscription

The last conscripts left the Hungarian Army on 3 November 2004. However, this is not a move towards demilitarisation, which can be seen from comments made by Hungary's Defence Minister Ferenc Juhasz:

"Wars based on ethnic or religious conflicts can not only threaten the world militarily, they can also threaten through terrorism, the drug trade or human trafficking.

"Like it or not, this means our forces must be prepared for missions like ones in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said.

Juhasz said Hungary, which joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union on May 1 of this year, aims to reduce its professional military from the current level of over 30,000 soldiers to between 22,000 and 25,000."

War Resisters' International is presently unaware what this will mean for the right to conscientious objection for professional soldiers of the Hungarian military. According to the law on conscientious objection which was in force during times of conscription, professional soldiers could not apply for conscientious objector status.

Hungary has presently 300 troops in Iraq, but these will be withdrawn by the end of the year. The Hungarian soldiers currently in Iraq are charged with carrying out logistics work and are based at Hilla, 100 kilometres south of Baghdad under Polish command. So far the contingent has suffered one fatality when a soldier was killed by a bomb in June.

Sources: http://staging.defensenews.com/story.php?F=486019&C=europe, http://staging.defensenews.com/story.php?F=506923&C=mideast
War Resisters' International: Refusing to bear arms, 1998: http://wri-irg.org/co/rtba/index.html

USA: Former GIs don't want to go to war

According to an article published in The New York Times on 16 November 2004, more than 1800 of 4000 former GIs who are now members of the Individual Ready Reserves requested exemption or delay after receiving a call-up for duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Out of 2500 who were due to report to military bases for refresher training by 7 November 2004, only 733 showed up.

The Individual Ready Reserve consists of approximately 110000 members - former GIs who are not part of the National Guard or reservists, and therefore do not train regulary, and are rarely called back for active duty.

According to the New York Times article, this resistance to call-ups puts further strain on a military that has summoned reserve troops in numbers not seen since World War II and forced thousands of soldiers in Iraq to postpone their departures when their enlistment obligations ended.

Source: Monica Davay: Former G.I.ls, Ordered To War, Fight Not to Go, The New York Times, 16 November 2004

Poland: Human Rights Committee demands shorter substitute service

Poland was one of the countries examined during the 82nd session of the United Nations' Human Rights Committee in Geneva this autumn. The Committee took up the issue of the length of substitute service. The concluding observations of the session on 5 November (unedited version) read:

"15. The Commitee notes that the duration of alternative military service is 18 months, whereas for military service it is only 12 months (art. 18 and 26).
The State party should ensure that the length of alternative service to military service does not have a punitive character."

Source: Concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee: Poland. 05/11/2004. CCPR/CO/82/POL/Rev.1.
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/%28Symbol%29/CCPR.CO.82.POL.Rev.%201.En?Opendocument

Serbia and Montenegro: More than 12000 COs in first year

More than 12000 young men applied for conscientious objection in Serbia and Montenegro since the introduction of regulation for conscientious objection came into force last year, and substitute service began on 22 December 2003. According to information from the Army of Serbia and Montenegro, 6155 persons were performing substitute service in October 2004, and 5621 cases were still pending. This is about 30% of all persons liable to conscription.

Source: Email Igor Seke, 29 October 2004