Recent CO Action alerts

At the end of June, a series of court-martials took place at the Jaffa Military Court in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

NOTE: The WRI office wishes to apologise for this late update on imprisonment of conscientious objectors in Israel. Some of the information is unfortunately already a bit outdated. This updated is being sent out to the list as there won’t be any update for the next two weeks.

Rabia Jihad Sa'ad (ISR12130) is - according to our information - still imprisoned in Military Prison No 4. He was sentenced on charges of absence without leave in mid-May - 4 months imprisonment. As he was arrested in mid-February, he should be released by mid-June.

Serbian conscientious objector Milan Gligoric fled from the barracks and went into hiding on 12 April 2003. Milan Gligoric, a Jehovah's Witness from Ljubovija, was sentenced on 12 December to 4 month suspended sentence, with 2 years parole period. He received a new call up to the army in February 2003, ordering him to report to the military barracks on 4 March 2003. Milan Gligoric is prepared to perform an alternative service of genuine civilian nature, but such a service is at present not available in Serbia and Montenegro.

War Resisters' International learned about two more conscientious objectors who were imprisoned recently in Israel. These two COs were not included in previous co-alerts: - http://wri-irg.org/news/htdocs/20030414a.html - http://wri-irg.org/news/htdocs/07042003b.html, and - http://wri-irg.org/news/htdocs/20030407a.html

War Resisters' International learned about three more conscientious objectors who have been imprisoned in Israel recently, on top of those who were included in the last co-alert emails (http://wri-irg.org/news/htdocs/07042003b.html and http://wri-irg.org/news/htdocs/20030407a.html).

Yoel Perlman (ISR13225) is a pacifist. He sent an open letter to Shaul Mofaz, the Israeli Minister for Defence on April 3, 2003, declaring his conscientious objection. On 6 April, he went to the induction base and was sentenced to 28 days in Military Prison No 4. He is due out on 4 May 2003.

War Resisters' International learned today that an US soldier requesting conscientious objector status was sent to the Iraqi war zone on 7 April 2003. Gabriel I. Johnson, 27 of Killeen, Texas, is assigned to the 104th Military Intelligence Btln (http://www.hood.army.mil/4id_104thmi/) of the 4th Infantry Division at Ft Hood, Texas. He was shipped to the Iraqi war zone early in the morning on 7 April, despite his request to be discharged as a conscientious objector.

While Jonathan Ben Artzi (ISR12371) is waiting for the outcome of the hearing at the Supreme Court on 8 April, to determine where he will be tried at a civilian or a military court, the "justice" machine in Israel lead to new imprisonments, and new court-martials.

Matan Kaminer (ISR12840) was confined to base on 6 March 2003, awaiting his court martial. He already spent 98 days in military prison.

Noam Bahat (ISR12842), who already spent 98 days in prison too, is also waiting for his court martial, and confined to base.

War Resisters' International was informed today that Yesh Gvul activist Lieut. (res.) Itay Riv was sentenced on 6 April to 28 days in prison for "refusal to undertake any duties in the course of his reserve service". This is his second imprisonment for refusal (he was first imprisoned from 02-29/04/02 - see co-alert 02/04/02, http://wri-irg.org/news/htdocs/02042002b.html). Itay, who is studying for his masters degree in physics at the Hebrew University, is a lieutenant in the reserves.

On 1 April, US Marine Corps Reservist Stephen Funk, 20, turned himself in to the military authorities at the San Jose Reserve Unit. Stephen Funk, who enlisted in the Marine Corps in February 2002, became increasingly uneasy when he was trained in the use of weapons and how to kill with a bayonet. "I refuse to kill," says Funk. "It is scary to confront the military, because the military teaches you to submit to orders even when you object. I may not be a hero, but I know that it takes courage to disobey.

German total objector Florian Quellmalz went to "his" barracks yesterday, and was arrested. He had been called up for military service and supposed to begin his service yesterday. The length of the first arrest is not yet known. The usual practice is that the first arrest is for 7 days, followed by one arrest of 14 days, and two to three arrests of 21 days. After that, a total objector usually discharged from the military, and his case is transferred to the prosecution service. A trial at a civilian criminal court will then follow, for "disobeying orders" or "refusing to serve".

War Resisters' International learned today that again a conscientious objector was sentenced to 18 months in prison in South Korea. Hee Jai Lim (SK13130-200303), 22, refused to carry guns in the military after being drafted on 18 August 2002. Usually, when someone rejects military training after entering service, a military court hands down a mandatory three-year prison sentence.

Conscientious objector Matan Kaminer (ISR12840) is the next conscientious objector to be court-martialed. He returned to the induction base yesterday, after finishing his third prison term on 3 March, and refused to be tried by an officer. His arguments were: 1. His offences are not of disciplinary nature. 2. So far the judges did not have judicial knowledge of the problem. 3. He is in the same situation as Jonathan Ben-Artzi and Haggai Matar. He now will be court-martialed - the same as with Jonathan Ben-Artzi and Haggai Matar.

War Resisters' International learned today that the Yugoslav army has called up a conscientious objector again, although he was already sentenced for refusing to serve. Milan Gligoric, a Jehovah's Witness from Ljubovija, was sentenced on 12 December to 4 month suspended sentence, with 2 years parole period. War Resisters' International only learned today that he received a new call up to the army in February 2003, ordering him to report to the military barracks today.

War Resisters' International learned today from Forum 18 News Service that Armenian conscientious objector Hambartsum Odabashyan (ARM13178) was sentenced to three years labour camp on 1st April. Hambartsum Odabashyan is a Jehovah's Witness, and refuses military service on grounds of his faith. Odabashyan was originally sentenced on 3 March to 1 1/2 years in prison, under article 75 part 1 of the Criminal Code which punished "evasion of active military service" with a penalty of up to three years imprisonment. However, the prosecutor appealed against the sentence as "too mild".

War Resisters' International learned today that conscientious objector Haggai Matar (ISR12701) will have his first hearing in his court-martial today. Haggai Matar already spent 133 days in Military Prison, in six installments of 28 or 35 days each. The court-martial can sentence him to up to 3 years in prison. International protest is urgently needed. Write to: Jaffa Military Court
91-93 Yeffet Street
Tel Aviv - Jaffa
Israel
Fax: +972-3-512646 -0 /-1

A third conscientious objector is now facing a court-martial in Israel. Other conscientious objectors still get repeatedly sentenced to imprisonment by the Israeli military.