CO-Update

Dear readers of co-update.

On 24 February, members of the Greek Association of Conscientious
Objectors were the target of a hand grenade attack, and only survived
unharmed by sheer luck.

Kuwait Times reported on 19 February that the authorities plan to
reinstate the conscription law by the end of 2009, after an eight-year
hiatus. The draft law will be reviewed by a high-level committee first
,after which it will be submitted to the National Assembly. Officials
said that young recruits will receive a monthly allowance, in addition
to their salaries. Those who study abroad, single-child (male) families
and diplomats will be exempted from service, reported Al-Waset.

Four male teenagers were caught and killed by Eritrean soldiers
after their attempt to cross the border to Ethiopia illegally. This was
reported by the Eritrean People's Party (EPP) on 11 February 2009.

Inthenews.co.uk reported on 24
February that Zimbabwe has embarked on a mass recruitment exercise of
rural youths to be trained as soldiers against the backdrop of massive
desertions of exasperated junior and middle ranking officers over low
pay.

Soldiers in the country have been forced to turn to crime, looting
shops and supermarkets and confiscating money and food from civilians;
sparking fears of full-blown mutiny.

1-5 April 2009: No to war - No to NATO

NATO will meet on 3 and 4 April 2009 for it's 60th anniversary
summit in Strasbourg, France, and Baden Baden, Germany. Groups from all
over Europe are preparing protest actions from 1-5 April 2009, which
will include:

In the previous month(s), the WRI office issued the following
co-alerts:

(a full archive of co-alerts is available at href="http://wri-irg.org/news/alerts/">wri-irg.org/news/alerts)

11 Feb 2009: ISRAEL:
Repeated imprisonment for women COs Raz Bar-David Varon and Maya
Yechieli Wind 21 Jan 2009: ISRAEL: Two
conscientious objectors sentenced to 14 days in prison