Fourth imprisonment of conscientious objector Natan Blanc
Use this form to send the letter below to the relevant authority (Minister of Defense Ehud Barak). You can add your own notes in a separate box after the standard text, if you wish. You must include a name, address, and email address; a copy will be sent to you with a cc to the WRI office (so we have a record of how many email letters have been sent out for this particular case).
Dear Ehud Barat,
I am writing to you just after conscientious objector Natan Blanc has been reimprisoned. Natan was sentenced on 6 January 2013 to 14 days' imprisonment for his conscientious objection to military service. This is the fourth time he has been imprisoned for this offence. He is in Military Prison no. 6.
I would like to remind you that repeated imprisonment is a violation of international legal standards. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in opinion 24/2003 on Israel came to the conclusion that the repeated imprisonment of conscientious objectors in Israel is arbitrary, and therefore it constitutes a violation of 14 par 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, of which Israel is a signatory.
Natan Blanc refuses to enlist in the Israeli Army based on beliefs and conscience. He claims his human right to conscientious objection, as guaranteed by Article 18 of the ICCPR. In a decision from January 2007, the United Nations Human Rights Committee recognised the right to conscientious objection as a legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, as guaranteed by Article 18 ICCPR.
I therefore urge you to immediately release Natan Blanc, and ensure he is not re-imprisoned in future.
Yours sincerely,
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