Editorial

Welcome to Co-update No 44, the first issue of CO-Update in 2009. First of all we want to wish all of you a Happy New Year from all at War Resisters' International. And we hope that this
year will bring more progress for the right to conscientious objection all over the world.

Unfortunately, the main news in this issue is not a progress report: the South Korean Ministry of Defence released a report about public opinion on conscientious objection in the country, and uses this outcome to justify the non-recognition of the right to conscientious objection (see main article). It is therefore very timely that Korea Solidarity for Conscientious Objection (KSCO) and War Resisters' International decided to focus on the situation in South Korea for International Conscientious Objection Day 2009 - 15 May (see more below).

The last months of 2009 also saw a wave of imprisonment of Israeli conscientious objectors (see the co-alert listing). Especially now, while Israel is attacking Gaza, support to Israeli conscientious objectors, who refuse to be part of this aggression, is more important than ever.

However, to continue to do this work War Resisters' International depends on your donations. We therefore ask you to donate to WRI online now at wri-irg.org/en/donate-en.htm.

Andreas Speck