Slovenia

On 5th March, Slovenian parliament voted against a bill reintroducing conscription, which was abolished in 2003. The bill, proposed by the incoming ruling party Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), was defeated in a 36:51 vote in parliament.

In this presentation I will give an overview of the right to conscientious objection, its
legal practices and frameworks in the 27 European Union member states. Before I do so, I want to step back a bit and have a brief look at the existing international standards about the right to
conscientious objection, as these standards allow us to put the practices in the EU member states into a perspective.

Issues

The right to conscientious objection is not recognised in times of war.
It is unclear whether Slovenia recognises the right to conscientious objection for professional soldiers.

Military recruitment
Conscription

According to Article 123 of the constitution, “participation in the national defence is compulsory for citizens within the limits and in the manner provided by law”1.

Slovenia suspended conscription in 2003, nine

Igor Seke

Yugoslavia passed a new law on the Yuguslav army in January 2002, but this law still doesn't include any regulation on conscientious objection. Conscientious objectors can only perform a service without arms within the Yugoslav army - clearly not satisfactory for conscientious objectors. Media reports lead to quite some confusion. Some media wrote about a "military civilian service", and some even presented this option as a genuine civilian service, so that many conscripts got quite confused.

Balkan Peace Team - International e.V. Nonviolent Intervention in the Conflicts of Former Yugoslavia: Sending Teams of International Volunteers A Final Internal Assessment of

Rebuilding Kosov@ and the FRY: resource pages

This page contains links to WRI resources on former-Yugoslavia, with a focus on the Kosovo crisis and on resistance to militarism in Serbia/Montenegro.

(This report is compiled of excerpts from talks that Bojan Toncic, a journalist of Belgrade daily "Danas" conducted with various experts and concerned persons in Belgrade.)

Yugoslav public was recently shocked with the information that father of the soldier who died in the war, killed the man who brought to his son a draft call. That is how the duty of people who were delivering draft calls during the war, with more or less responsibility, got another dimension.

This is a preliminary report compiled on the facts gathered at the "Safe house" project. Further reports and comments will be distributed upon collection of more data. Therefore, we would appreciate any contribution in this direction.

Letter to the International Helsinki Federation of Human Rights

Dear Friends and Esteemed Colleagues,

This letter is an answer to a "request" made by our associates and friends of long standing, with whom we cooperated for a number of years on the long-term and far-reaching programme of building a civic society in the FR of Yugoslavia.

The Congress of the Center for the Dissemination of Information and Democracy (CeRID) and "Serbia Together" in joint session held on May 19 1999 in Nis, presents the following DECLARATION

As we remember imprisoned peacemakers, Xabi Agirre Aranburu argues the case for imprisoning those responsible for war crimes as a necessary step in preventing war.

The town of Stolac's position on the front-line had made it an obvious target of Serbian artillery ever since the war In Bosnia begun. One particular morning In the summer of 1992 began with the usual Serbian bombardment. This time, the shells landed, but did not explode.

ARK activist nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Vesna Terselic of the Anti-War Campaign of Croatia has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She has been proposed by the International Peace Bureau along with Selim Beslagic, former Mayor of Tuzla, and Vesna Pesic, leader of the Civic Alliance in FRY. Already this has catapulted Vesna T. (an individual member of the WRI, as well as coordinator of ARK) into public prominence.