Recent CO Action alerts

On Monday, 17 November 2008, US Iraq war resisters Tony Anderson has been sentenced to 14 months of confinement and given a dishonourable discharge from the military for "desertion with intent to avoid hazardous duty" and "disobeying a lawful order". The young soldier refused to deploy to Iraq in July of this year on the grounds of conscientious objection to war.

Finnish total objector Matti Petteri Pöntiö went to prison on 11 November. Pöntiö broke off his substitute service on 17 April 2008 after about 8 months of service. Loviisa District Court sentenced him to 56 days imprisonment on 26 August 2008. Yesterday, he started to serve this sentence.

Israeli woman CO Mia Tamarin, who recently finished her second prison, was sentenced to a third term of 21 days yesterday. She follows COs Sahar Vardi and Raz Bar-David Varon, who both received sentences of 21 days on 3
November 2008.



Mia Tamarin is due to be released on 23 Nov 2008, but is likely to be imprisoned again soon afterwards.

On 3 November 2008, Israeli women COs Sahar Vardi (ISR14949) and Raz Bar-David Varon (ISR14958) reported to the induction base, and refused to enlist into the Israeli Defence Forces. Both were arrested and sentenced to 21 days in prison.

Four Israeli women conscientious objectors have been sentenced to a second prison term on Sunday, 12 October. Sahar Vardi (ISR14949) and Tamar Katz (ISR14952) have been sentenced to 21 days in prison and are due to be released on 30 October 2008.

Two total objectors to military and substitute service are presently in military arrest in Germany.

Patrick Sander from Berlin was supposed to present himself for military service on 1 October 2008. However, he did not do so. On 6 October at 11pm he was taken by military police to the military police commando in Berlin, and transfered to his unit in Prenzlau on 7 October.

Sebastian Salminen, a 21-years old total objector from Oulu, went to prison yesterday, on 6 October 2008.


He had been ordered to perform his military service in the Infantry Brigade of Sodankylä. He refused and was sentenced to prison for 195 days by the Oulu

district court (Oulun käräjäoikeus) on 27 November 2007. The charge was "refusing conscription". He noted in his trial that his refusal is a "personal contention based on his pacifist conviction".

Israeli conscientious objector Avichai Vaknin (ISR14948) received today (2 October 2008) a second prison term of 21 days.
Avichai Vaknin, a 18 years old pacifist conscientious objector from Yehud, near Tel Aviv, already spent 21 days in prison for refusing to enlist from 21 August until 7 September 2008 (see co-alert, 26 August 2008).

Three women conscientious objectors are presently serving prison time in Israel for refusal to enlist. Omer Goldman (ISR14951), Tamar Katz (ISR14952), and Mia Tamarin (ISR14953), all three signatories of the 2008 High School seniors' refusal letter, reported at the military induction base on 22 September 2008, and refused to enlist.

Omer Goldman, 19, from the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat HaSharon, was sentenced to 21 days in prison on 22 September. In her declaration of refusal she stated:

On 1 September, War Resisters' International sent out a co-alert on Robin Long. Robin Long fled to Canada three years ago and forcibly returned to the USA on 15 July. On 22 August 2008, Long was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, and a dishonourabe discharge.

War Resisters' International has now been informed that Robin Long has been moved to Miramar Naval Consolidated Brig, near San Diego, where he will serve his sentence.

On 1 September, War Resisters' International sent out a co-alert on Robin Long. Robin Long fled to Canada three years ago and forcibly returned to the USA on 15 July. On 22 August 2008, Long was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, and a dishonourabe discharge.

On 15 July, the Canadian government deported U.S. war resister Robin
Long. Long was sentenced on 22 August to 15 months of confinement and
dishonorable discharge, receiving credit for 40 days of time served. He
will spend 2-3 weeks in a county jail outside of Fort Carson, Colorado
before being transferred to a Army stockade.

After conscientious objector Udi Nir went to military prison for 21 days on 21 August 2008, two more conscientious objectors are now in prison.

Avichai Vaknin (ISR14948), a 18 years old pacifist conscientious objector from Yehud, near Tel Aviv, has been sentenced to 21 days in prison on the same day as Udi Nir, and received the same sentence of 21 days.

Accompanied by friends, Israeli conscientious objector Udi Nir today went to military prison for 21 days. Udi Nir is one of the
signatories of the Shministim letter 2008 (High School seniors' letter) to Israeli Primer
Minister Olmert Barak saying they refuse to enlist in army carrying out Israel's policy of segregation, oppression, killing in occupied territories.

Turkish conscientious objector Mehmet Bal, who was arrested by plain clothes police on 8 June 2008, has been severely beaten in prison. According to reports from his lawyers, who visited him 11 June in prison, during Mehmet Bal's first day at Hasdal Military prison a senior officer took him into a prison ward and ordered other prisoners to "do what is necessary to remind him of prison rules". Five or six prisoners beat his face and body with a plank of wood.