CO-Update

Dear readers of CO-Update.

a little late, but here it is - CO-Update No 57, July 2010. From 1-5 July 2010, we took part in the European Social Forum in Istanbul, which is the reason for the delay of this issue of CO-Update. However, while in Istanbul we caught up with Turkish conscientious objector Halil Savda (see article on Turkey), and other Turkish antimilitarists.

The first Paraguayan law on conscientious objection limits the right to conscientious objection

As reported on CO-Update No 54, February/March 2010, Belorussian President Lukashenko ordered the drafting of a law on substitute service on 18 February 2010. Following this order, Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky issued an instruction on 31 March 2010 to set up an Interagency Working Group to draft a law on substitute service. The Working Group includes 13 members from different government ministries and agencies, and is to submit a draft to the Council of Ministers by 1 September 2010.

Amnesty International reports that conscientious objector Halil Savda and three other activists were convicted on 17 June 2010 under Article 318 of the Turkish Penal Code which criminalises ‘alienating the public from military service’.

Conscientious objectors are generally seen as male — as are soldiers. This book breaks with this assump­tion. Women conscientiously object to mili­tary service and militarism. Not only in countries which conscript women — such as Eritrea and Israel — but also in coun­tries without conscription of women. In doing so, they redefine antimilitarism from a feminist perspec­tive, opposing not only militarism, but also a form of antimilitarism that creates the male conscientious objector as the ‘hero’ of antimilitarist struggle.

19.11.2010 - 21.11.2010 Lisbon (Portugal)

The No-to-NATO-coalition organizes a manifestation, counter-conference and actions of civil disobedience. The official agenda contains approval of the new Strategic Concept, a decision on NATO's involvement in missile defence.

There are also discussion on actions of civil disobedience before or during the NATO summit.

Contact: War Resisters' International
Email: info@wri-irg.org
http://wri-irg.org