Imprisonment of conscientious objector Aviv Sela
Use this form to send the letter below to the relevant authority (Shaul Mofaz, Minister of Defence, Israel). 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 Mr Shaul Mofaz, Minister of Defence
I am very concerned about the imprisonment of conscientious objector Aviv Sela.
Aviv Sela refuses to enlist in the Israeli Army based on beliefs and conscience. In a letter to you, explaining his refusal, he wrote:
"I, Aviv Sela, hereby present you with my request to be exempted from military service on grounds of conscience, according to section 36 of the 1986 law of military service (combined version). I would like to ask you to refer this request to the authorized exemption committee.
Though I did not grow up in an activist or political family, my family believed in humane values and in human equality and respect. My parents are not active in peace or human rights organizations: their one political activity is going to the ballot box.
The more I saw of the occupied territories, the more clearly could I see the complexity of Palestinian society. When you are inside Israeli society you get the impression that Palestinian society is an extremist terrorist society. Once you are able to put aside these simplifications, you discover a complex society, with various factions and different ideas, and a variety of modes of struggle. This is how I got to know about non-violent protest, Palestinian protest, conducted either indirectly or directly, which has gained widespread publicity in Israel and internationally.
These visits I made to the occupied territories gave me a better insight into what was happening on the other side of the Green Line and they are a major part of how I have come to understand the Israeli government's policy in the territories as illegitimate and something I cannot be part of".
He started his first prison term of 21 days on 5 April, and I fear that in line with Israeli practice more prison terms will follow.
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.
Aviv Sela claims his human right to conscientious objection, as guaranteed by Article 18 of the ICCPR.
I therefore urge you to immediately release Aviv Sela and all imprisoned conscientious objectors. I urge you to respect human rights.
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