CO UPDATE
The monthly email newsletter of War Resisters' International's The Right to Refuse to Kill programme || Index of past issues | français | español
Editorial
Finally welcome to co-update No 36, which has turned into a May-June issue, which is quite late. May - and June - have been very busy, with a 2 1/2 weeks visit to Colombia in the second half of May, and this contributed to the delay of this issue of co-update. And - unfortunately - the next issue of co-update will also be a double-issue - July-August - which we will only be able to send out to you in the second half of July. We hope to get back on track with our more or less monthly schedule in September.
The past weeks have been very busy, and it is difficult to report on all what has happened. As you can read in the article on 15 May, we are working on a European Union-wide survey on conscientious objection, which is also delayed.
But the main work has been on Colombia. Not only did we visit Colombia, we also worked hard on two cases of conscientious objectors recruited by the military (and who finally have been released), on cases we presented to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and a lot more.
We will report on some of this work - successful or not - in the coming issues of co-update. So stay tuned - even though we are late sometimes.
Andreas Speck
Upcoming events
17-21 September 2008: European Social Forum
War Resisters' International will be present at the European Social Forum (ESF), which is being held in Malmö, in the south of Sweden. More than 20 000 people are expected to participate in the forum, which is a meeting place for social movements in Europe.
The over-reaching theme for the entire forum will be how to strengthen our resistance against militarisation.
If you plan to come to Sweden in September, please get in touch with the WRI office.
CO-Update
Monthly email newsletter of WRI's Right to Refuse to Kill Programme
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
Subscribe/
Unsubscribe
To subscribe, you can go to the website of this list, or send an email.
To unsubscribe, send an email to co-update-unsubscribe
@lists.wri-irg.org.
Donate to WRI!
War Resisters' International depends on your donations to be able to carry out its work. Donate to WRI online now at wri-irg.org/en/donate-en.htm.
Colombia: Successful strategy of accompaniment frees conscientious objectors from military service
Death threats against WRI affiliate Red Juvenil after successful 'Antimili Sonoro XIV'
It does not happen often that we have good news to report from Colombia, but this month we do (among quite a bit of bad news - but the good news first). Two months ago, two Colombian conscientious objectors who had been illegally recruited in January and February have been released from the military, albeit without any acknowledgement of the right to conscientious objection.
Diego Alexander Pulgarin was recruited on 5 January in the northern bus terminal of Medellin. He declared himself conscientious objector immediately from the moment of his recruitment, and refused all orders.
Also, Diego Yesid Bosa Rico, who had been recruited on 23 February 2008, was released from the military after several weeks, including a time during which he went on hunger strike in protest against the military forging documents (see co-alert, 27 March 2008).
In both cases, strong local support, including nonviolent direct action, combined with international support contributed to the release of these conscientious objectors from the military. However, this does not constitute a recognition of the right to conscientious objection by the Colombian military, as in both cases the military used other means to rid itself from these problematic and unwilling 'soldiers'. Both are still at risk of being recruited again.
As reported in a previous newsletter, since the beginning of 2008 the recruitment efforts of the Colombian military increased, which lead to more incidents of 'batidas' on the street. During War Resisters' International's visit to Colombia, we could witness two 'batidas' in Bogota, with the military checking people's military papers and ordering those without a 'libreta militar' onto a waiting truck which would bring them to the barracks (see photos). On 20 May, also a major 'regular' recruitment day, we could witness the military boarding minibuses to check young men for their 'libreta militar'. This form of recruitment constitutes a major human rights violation [right to liberty (Article 9 ICCPR), right to liberty of movement (Article 12 ICCPR)], but is common practice in Colombia. However, even during the 'regular' recruitment, a huge number of irregularities and human rights violations occur on a regular basis.
On 20 May, the Accion Colectiva de Objetoras y Objetores de Conciencia (ACOOC) from Bogota did not only accompany conscientious objector Alvaro Pena (see co-update No 37, March 2008) to the recruitment station, but also put up information on legal provisions for exemption from or postponement of military service, and assisted the families of those affected by recruitment in filing petitions. This was a very successful action, which gave some insight into the scale of irregularities in the supposedly legal recruitment process.
More - and difficult - news can also be reported on conscientious objector Alvaro Pena, who presented himself again on 20 May. His case has turned more complicated, as the military had meanwhile declared him a 'remiso' (draft evader), based on the fact that his name was in the list of those who did not present themselves in February 2008. Only that in Alvaro Pena's case he had been asked by the military to sign his name into this book, so that his entry also includes his signature - a clear proof that he must have been there in February.
While Alvaro Pena was again not recruited on 20 May, he again spent a full day in the military, and was only allowed to leave at the end of the day, this time without having to sign anything, which also means he does not have any proof that he presented himself. He was asked to come back on 4 June, to sort out his status of 'remiso' - but on that day again it was not possible to clear Alvaro Pena of this status.
It seems the military is playing on time, and attempts to wear out Alvaro Pena, who is now in a situation where he cannot plan his future. However, the good side of this is that the military seems to be avoiding the open and full-scale confrontation with a publicly declared conscientious objector, knowing that this could lead to another human rights problem - and the military already has more than enough of them.
More bad news is to be reported from Colombia. War Resisters' International is very concerned about the death threats received by its Colombian affiliate Red Juvenil de Medellin. Last week, Red Juvenil received death threats in the name of "Aguilas Negras" (Black Eagles), a name widely used by groups of supposedly demobilised paramilitaries.
On Thursday 29 and Friday 30 May 2008, Red Juvenil de Medellín received the following message from redesnegras@hotmail.com: "Death to anarchists disguised as a pacifists. No more concerts of drugs and communists. No further notice." The threats were directed at eight named members and close friends of Red Juvenil, and signed Aguilas Negras.
In a statement on these death threats, the War Resisters' International Executive writes: "War Resisters' International is concerned about the negligence of the authorities of Medellin in permitting the re-emergence of groups such as the Aguilas Negras, apparently formed by former paramilitaries, and the threat they pose to human rights in Medellín and to youth groups such as the Red Juvenil. War Resisters' International reminds the authorities of Medellin and Colombia that the prevention of human rights violations by groups such as the Aguilas Negras is one of their responsibilities, and that they will be held accountable for failure to act if the Aguilas Negras put their death threats against named activists of the Red Juvenil into practice."
"War Resisters' International expresses its strong support and solidarity with its affiliate Red Juvenil and all their activists, who under difficult circumstances promote nonviolence as a means to resist militarism and violence within the society of Colombia, and refuse participation in any of the armed groups, be they legal or illegal."
Sources: Red Juvenil de Medellin: El objetor reclutado Diego Alexander Pulgarin esta ahora fuera del ejercito, April 200815 May - International Day on Conscientious Objection
Counter-recruitment and conscientious objection for professional soldiers as major themes
Just before 15 May, the International Day on Conscientious Objection, War Resisters' International has published material on the major theme for this year: the right to conscientious objection for professional soldiers, and the work done to counter military recruitment.
War Resisters' International is presently working on a survey of European Union countries regarding the question of the right to conscientious objection for professional soldiers. The outcome is shocking: the trend towards abolishment of conscription in Europe is accompanied by a trend to in fact undermine the right to conscientious objection. While most member states of the European Union did recognise the right to conscientious objection for professional soldiers, very few - only two - do so for professional soldiers.
The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion (Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights, and Article 10 of the European Charter on Fundamental Rights) logically also includes the right to change one’s beliefs at any time. Consequently the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe demanded from member states on 24 March 2006 in a decision on human rights in the Armed Forces to “introduce into their legislation the right to be registered as a conscientious objector at any time, namely before, during or after implementation of military service, as well as the right of career servicemen to obtain the status of conscientious objector”. Already Council of Europe recommendation 1581 of 2001 suggested to member states to recognise the right to conscientious objection also for professional soldiers. Nevertheless, most countries of the European Union do not provide for this right (see table below).
Table: Conscription and conscientious objection in the European Union
| Country | Conscription | CO for conscripts | CO for professional soldiers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| before military service |
during/after military service |
|||
| Austria | Yes | Yes | No (1) | No |
| Belgium | Suspended | Yes (2) | No | No |
| Bulgaria | Suspended | Yes (2) | No | No |
| Cyprus | Yes | Yes (3) | No | No |
| Czech Republic | Suspended | Yes (2) | No | No |
| Denmark | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Estonia | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Finland | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| France | Suspended | Yes (2) | No | |
| Germany | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Greece | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Hungary | Suspended | Yes (2) | No (4) | No |
| Ireland | No | n.a. | n.a. | No |
| Italy | Suspended | Yes (2) | No | |
| Latvia | Suspended | Yes (2) | No | |
| Lithuania | Yes | Yes (5) | No | No |
| Luxembourg | No | n.a. | n.a. | No |
| Malta | No | n.a. | n.a. | No |
| Poland | Yes (6) | Yes | No | No |
| Portugal | No (7) | No | ||
| Romania | No | n.a. | n.a. | No |
| Slovakia | Suspended | Yes (2) | No | No |
| Slovenia | No | n.a. | n.a. | No |
| Spain | Suspended | Yes (2) | No | |
| Sweden | Yes (8) | Yes | Yes | No |
| The Netherlands | Suspended | Yes (2) | Yes (2) | No |
| United Kingdom | No | n.a. | n.a. | Yes |
| Candidate countries | ||||
| Croatia | Suspended | Yes (2) | Yes (2) | No |
| Macedonia | No | n.a. | n.a. | No |
| Turkey | Yes | No | No | No |
Notes:
(1) Applications of reservists are possible, but only three years after the beginning of their military service
(2) Conscription is only suspended. Conscientious objection will be available should it be reintroduced
(3) Northern Cyprus does not recognise the right to CO
(4) In case conscription will be reintroduced, CO is only possible before a conscript takes the oath
(5) Although conscientious objection is recognised, a genuinely civilian substitute service is not available
(6) Conscription is likely to be phased out in 2010-2012
(7) It is not clear whether conscription is suspended or abolished
(8) Conscription might soon be abolished. Substitute service for conscientious objectors will be abolished by the end of 2008.
The new task to counter military recruitment
Although many EU member states still maintain conscription in some form, even in those countries the 'professional' side of the military becomes increasingly important, with conscription being an "add-on", for ideological reasons or to provide a pool for military recruitment.
Paradoxically, often the end of conscription leads to an invasion of the military into every sphere of life - especially schools, universities, public spaces, and disadvanted areas and neighbourhoods, to boost military recruitment. The experience from the USA and to a lesser degree from Britain shows that in order to recruit, the military is often very "economically" with the truth of military life, as the prospect of killing or getting killed does not sell well. As David Gee pointed out in "Informed Choice", a report on British Army recruitment: "Career information provided to potential recruits and their parents is selective and often misleading. Recruitment literature for the army glamorises warfare, poorly explains the terms of service and largely omits to mention the risks of the career. It is common for recruits to enlist without knowing the risks or their legal rights and obligations."
In addition to research into the right to conscientious objection for professional soldiers, there is an urgent need for research into the practice of military recruitment for professional militaries. War Resisters' International is concerned that similar conclusions can be drawn in many other countries.
Iraq: Comeback of conscription?
According to information from iraqupdates.com, the security and defence committee of the Iraqi parliament recommended a return to conscription as it called on the Defence Ministry to amend a previous draft law submitted to the cabinet and the Iraqi legislative council.
According to the Iraqi constitution, national service will be stipulated by law (article 9 paragraph 2).
Hadi al-Ameri, chairman of parliament’s defence and security committee, said reinstating the draft was necessary given the country’s current conditions. He said all males reaching the age of 18 will have to join the new army.
Ameri also promised ‘decent wages’ to make military service tempting for young Iraqis.
Analysts say the fact that the government’s determination to reinstate the draft is an indication that the army is not finding enough volunteers.
Sources: Security committee recommends return conscription, iraqupdates.com, 5 May 2008; Iraq mulls reintroducing the draft, Azzaman, 28 April 2008
Recent co-alerts
In the previous month(s), the WRI office issued the following co-alerts:
(a full archive of co-alerts is available at wri-irg.org/news/alerts)
CO-UPDATE: the monthly email newsletter of War Resisters' International's The Right to Refuse to Kill programme || Index of past issues