Support Finnish Conscientious Objectors

Lobby the Finnish Minister of Labour on the right to conscientious objection

The Finnish Union of Conscientious Objectors is calling for a lobbying campaign directed at the Finnish Minister for Labour, Mrs Tarja Filatov now. As a result of international pressure from several international organisations - the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, and in November 2004 the United Nations Human Rights Committee - the Minister of Labour is presently preparing a new law on conscientious objection for Finland, to respond to this pressure.

Presently, about 30 conscientious objectors are imprisoned in Finland, because they refuse to perform a substitute service which they consider punitive in length. About 70-80 conscientious objectors are sentenced to 197 days in prison every year.

We have learned that the Finnish Minister of Labour Mrs. Tarja Filatov (whose ministry is responsible for organising the substitute service) is planning to propose changing the law regarding the substitute service system during May 2005. This will be a proposal to reduce the length of the substitute service. However, the unreasonable length of the substitute service (now more than twice longer than the military service) is not the only problem within the Finnish conscription system:

• The conscripts are treated differently on the basis of (non)religious conviction as Jehovah's Witnesses are excused from service on the bases of their religious beliefs, while conscientious objectors of other beliefs and ideologies are sentence to prison
• There exists no possibility of conscientious objection during war time
• The substitute service places often ignore their duty to provide accommodation and lodging to the conscripts
• Young men are often not informed about the possibility to choose an substitute service during the national call-up.

To respect the human rights of the Finnish conscientious objectors it is necessary that Finland changes its’ legislation not only on the issue of the length of the substitute service, but also on all the other points. That’s why we hope as many NGOs and individuals as possible will email the Finnish Minister of Labour before she finalises her law proposal.

Please send the protest email (or write your own text) to the Finnish Minister of Labour to put pressure on the Finnish government to stop discriminating and punishing people who don’t want to take part in the military service system. If possible, send also a copy to the other ministers of the Finnish government, who will be deciding about changing the conscription law before the summer holiday.
Please get in touch with us if you receive a reply from the Finnish government.

More information on the human rights abuse of conscientious objectors in Finland is available on the following websites:

www.hermaja.org
www.aseistakieltaytyjaliitto.fi
wri-irg.org/co-home.htm

Thanks a lot for your support!

Andreas Speck
War Resisters' International