Macedonia

Back to the Contents of the book

Boro Kitanoski

Conscientious objection is perhaps more often seen as a moral imperative than as a strategy. However, in countries with active conscription, there can be different ways of avoiding or delaying military service. Some people gain a medical discharge. Others flee, emigrate, choose professions that are exempt from call up, or bribe officials.

Issues

The end of conscription in Macedonia also meant the end of conscientious objection. Macedonia does not recognise the right to conscientious objection for professional soldiers.

Military recruitment
Conscription

Although Macedonia abolished conscription, the constitution of Macedonia still states in its
Article 28: “The defence of the Republic of Macedonia is the right and duty of every citizen.

Boro Kitanoski – Peace Action, Macedonia

“Proclamation to the Serbian friends

SERBIAN
MAN. Your Serbian virtue must be loyalty. Be loyal in the Orthodox
Church to the God of your Holy Ancestors. Be in the St. Sava’s
patriotism loyal to your Fatherland. Be in household responsibility
loyal to your family. Without God, without a Fatherland, without a
family, You are nobody and nothing.

The Macedonian parliament voted in May to abolish conscription, and in fact no new recruits will be called up for military service. Macedonia's Defence Minister had already announced an end to conscription in April 2006, but the formal decision was made by parliament in May.

On 11 January 2006 War Resisters' International asked the Macedonian Ministry of Defence some questions about applications for conscientious objection in 2005. WRI did so on request of its Macedonian section Peace Action, who were unable to obtain the figures, and were told by the Ministry of Defence that they might respond to questions from an international/foreign NGO. Peace Action drafted the fax in Macedonian, and this was put on WRI stationary, signed and faxed to the Ministry of Defence from London.

Organized by War Resisters' International and Peace Action

20-23 June 2004, Boy Scouts' camp, Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia

The Boy Scouts' camp was the place on which 60 peace activists from all around the world gathered on the seminar on subject Conscientious objection and peace. From 20 – 23 June the seminar was held, and the next two days were days for War Resisters International Council meeting.

International Seminar in Macedonia, June 2004

Introduction

War Resisters' International, the international network of pacifist organisations founded in 1921, and its Macedonian affiliate Peace Action are planning an international seminar on conscientious objection and peace in Ohrid, Macedonia in June 2004.

Currency

The Macedonian Denar (MKD) is the local currency, and comes in denominations of 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, and 5000 and there are also coins of one, two, and five denar. Though it is stable, the den ar is basically nonconvertible outside Macedonia - make sure to change back your left over denars at departure. At present, 1 Euro buys you some 61 MKD; 1 GBP should therefore buy you roughly 90 MKD. The most useful foreign currency to have in Macedonia is the Euro, which is widely accepted (however, coins are hard to be accepted).

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.