Recent CO Action alerts

Total objector Malik Sharif will be on trial tomorrow, 12 July, on charges of disobedience. Malik Sharif was called up to start military service on 1 November 2001 at the Freiherr-von-Fritsch barracks in Breitenburg near Itzehoe in northern Germany. He presented himself on 3 November 2001, accompanied by supporters, and refused to obey to any orders (GER11620-051101). Because of this, he was arrested and spent 80 days in military arrest, before being discharged.

Yesterday, on 09 July 2002, conscientious objector Sergeyi Gornostight was sentenced to 14 days imprisonment for refusing to perform reserve duties in the Israeli army. Sergeyi Gornostight wasn't imprisoned immediately, but was told to report to "Oded Camp" near Ramla today. He is likely to be transferred to Military Prison No 4.

War Resisters' International calls for letters of support to Sergeyi Gornostight and all other imprisoned conscientious objectors.

Sergeyi Gornostight
Military ID number 5092248
Military Prison No 4
Military Postal Code 02507
IDF
Israel

On 2 July 2002, Israeli refusenik Ilan Windholz was imprisoned for the fourth time. He was sentenced to 28 days imprisonment, after serving three sentences: 28 days from 24 March on (ISR11973-270302), 21 days from 6 May on (ISR11973-210502), and 28 days from 26 May on (ISR11973-200602).

Four more refuseniks have been jailed in Israel during the last week, according to information received from Yesh Gvul, the Israeli organition in support of refuseniks.

Lt. Udi Orr (ISR12154), 29, was sentenced on 24 June to 28 days in Military Prison No 6. Udi Orr, a student, is married and lives in Jerusalem. He serves in the infantry.

Corporal Plato Melinovski (ISR12155), 30, was sentenced on 1 July to 28 days. His prison address is not yet known. Plato is married and a student in Tel Aviv. He serves in the armoured corps.

War Resisters' International was informed yesterday that Yesh Gvul activist Amit Bar-Tzedeq, an Armored Corps reservist, was sentenced on 16 June to 21 days confinement (until 11 July) at a tank base in eastern Galilee. Amit Bar-Tzedeq (28) is single and lives in Tel Aviv, where he works as a director of a community theatre. Amit Bar-Tzedeq is a Yesh Gvul activist, and he was one of the original signatories of the Courage to Refuse letter in January 2001. This is his second sentence for refusal to serve in the Occupied Territories, after being jailed for 28 days in February/March 2001.

Infantry First Sgt. (res.) Guy Rozin, (ISR12135) (Military ID 3777618) was sentenced on June 16 to 28 days. Guy Rozin (28), an independent caterer from Tel Aviv, is the brother of refusenik Eyal Rozin; he is married with 2 children. Guy was called to duty in the April emergency call-up. On reporting, he told his superiors he refused to serve in the territories, and was sent home. Some days later, his officers contacted him and tried to talk him into joining the unit at Psagot. Guy reiterated his refusal to serve in the territories, though adding that he'd consider an alternative posting.

The wave of emergency call-ups for reserves has receded. The number of objectors currently being held in prison, to the best of our knowledge, is now 9 - five are reservists and the other four are draft resisters. This is a tall but more or less routine figure. Objectors Yair Khilou (ISR11763) and N.N. (ISR11885 - name removed), on whose 4th and 5th imprisonment terms we have reported in recent co-alerts, have been released from prison and last week were finally exempted from military service altogether, on grounds of incompatibility.

Three new refuseniks have been jailed in Israel recently.

First Sgt. (res.) Danny Eizer (ISR12109) was sentenced to 7 days in prison on 26 May. He is imprisoned in Military Prison No 6.

First Sgt. (res.) Avner Michaeli (ISR12110) was sentenced to 28 days in prison on 26 May. He too is imprisoned in Military Prison No 6.

First Sgt. (res.) Erez Zweiling (ISR12111) was sentenced to 35 days in prison on 26 May. He is imprisoned in Military Prison No 4.

War Resisters' International calls for letters of support to the imprisoned conscientious objectors:

Military Prison No 6

Yair Khilou (ISR11763), one of the organisers and initiators of the "Letter of the Twelfth-Graders", in which dozens of Israeli youths collectively declared their objection last fall, was sentenced on 13 May to 14 days in prison. This is his fourth prison term in a row. N.N. (ISR11885 - name removed), another signatory of that letter, was also sentenced on 13 May to 14 days in prison. For him this is already the fifth (!) prison term in a row. Both objectors refuse to serve in the Israeli army on political grounds.

Four more refuseniks were jailed in Israel during the last week. There are 29 refuseniks in jail at present.

Capt. Liron Eliasov (ISR12071), 32, a psychologist from Haifa, was sentenced to 28 days at prison 6 for refusing to serve in the territories on Monday, 30 April.

Amit Grossman (ISR12072) was sentenced to 28 days at prison 4 on Thursday 2 May for refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories.

Conscientious objector N.N. (ISR11885 - name removed), a draft resister and one of the signatories of the "letter of the 12-graders" has been sentenced to 14 days in prison yesterday (29 April 2002). This is his fourth prison term in a row. He is due to be released on 10 May 2002. N.N. objects to any sort of service in the Israeli army. New Profile writes: "This is the first time in a long period that the army sends an objector to prison in the fourth time in a row. It is not yet clear to us whether this signals a general change of policy on the part of the army.

War Resisters' International was now informed that Victor Sabranski, who reported to the induction base on 24 April (as reported in ISR12053-250402), was sentenced to 28 days incarceration in Military Prison No 4 on 26 April 2002. Due to technical blunders of the prison staff, Victor Sabranski wasn't able to contact his family for more than two days. In his letter to the Ministry of Defence, Victor Sabranski writes: "I was raised on democratic values... I believe in full equality among people... I am sure the main reason I have not yet declared refusal is the fear...

War Resisters' International was informed by the Israeli organisation Yesh Gvul that five more conscripts have been jailed recently for refusal to take part in the campaign of repression against the Palestinian population.

On 24 April, Corp. Alon Sela (ISR12054) (Kochav Ya'ir) of an artillery unit was sentenced to 28 days for refusal to serve in the Hebron area. He declared: "Service in the occupied territories causes me moral conflicts I'm unable to handle. I don't know how others handle them."

Over the last 10 days, more conscientious objectors went to jail in Israel, for refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories or in the army in general.

First Sgt. Omri Tzalmona (ISR12042), 23, from Tel Aviv, was sentenced on Friday, 11 April, to 35 days in prison. He is imprisoned in Military Prison No 4.

Major Shimko El-Ami (ISR12043), 33, from Jerusalem, was sentenced on 14 April to 28 days for refusing to serve in the Occupied Territories. He is imprisoned in Military Prison No 6.

Two more refuseniks were jailed in Israel. Rennan Amin Salameh (ISR11862), a Druse conscientious objector who already spent 90 days in prison, and only was released on 02 April, after serving two thirds of his four months sentence (which would be standard procedure). However, after being released he was referred to a military parole committee, that decided not to shorten his sentence at all. He was sent back to prison for 30 more days, beginning with 4 April. His intended day of release will be in early May.

On Easter Sunday Marino ended his hunger strike after six weeks. He is healthwise in a reasonable state, morally though, very disappointed because the heads of state refused to answer his simple question: " Why he and other men have to serve prison sentences althouh they are willing to do civilian service?" He had personally written to three ministers, who didn't even bother to answer directly, but let their secretaries compile an answer. In stating that they "could not publicly comment on Marino's situation for fear of interfering with other's ( e.g.