Conscientious objection

I am Javier Roncero, member of the youth organisation Juventud Obrera Cristiana de Espana (JOC-E; Christian Worker Youth). Through a learning process, both in the family and with this group, we have taken on responsibilities for social change, thinking and taking action according to an alternative vision of society, with more solidarity, more fairness, and in peace.

My refusal to perform military service comes out of this belief. The state's response to this political problem is one of repression-imprisonment for between one year and two years, four months, and a day (as is my sentence).

CCPR/C/79/Add.45
23 November 1994

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13. Another area of concern is that of freedom of religion. The severe punishments for heresy (which are said not to have been used) and the restrictions on the right to change religion appear to be inconsistent with article 18 of the Covenant. The lack of provision for conscientious objection to military service is another concern.

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Source: http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/e1c467ffbc29572841256324003e218a?Opendocument

CCPR/C/79/Add.39; A/49/40, paras.312-333
21 September 1994

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The Committee is concerned about the unfair treatment accorded to conscientious objectors in Cyprus, who are subject to an excessive period of alternative service lasting 42 months, which is not compatible with the provisions of article 18 and 26 of the Covenant, and that persons may also be subject to punishment on one or more occasion for failure to perform military service.

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1.The Assembly recalls its Resolution 984 (1992) on the crisis in the former Yugoslavia, its Resolution 1019 (1994) on the humanitarian situation and needs of the refugees, displaced persons and other vulnerable groups in the countries of the former Yugoslavia and its Recommendation 1218 (1993) on establishing an international court to try serious violations of international humanitarian law.

2.It refers to the European Parliament resolution on deserters from the armed forces of states in the former Yugoslavia adopted on 28 October 1993.

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the motions for resolutions by:

(a) Mr Kostopoulos on recognition of the right of conscientious objection to military service and alternative arrangements for non-military or social service (B3-0248/91),

(b) Mr von Wechmar and others on behalf of the LDR Group on persecution of conscientious objectors and of ethnic minorities in Greece '(B3-0623/92),

(c) Mr Sisó Cruellas on the performance of military service by young people who reside in a Member State of which they are not nationals (B3-0459/92),

In May 1992, in Oromhegyes/Tresnjevac, Vojvodina, Yugoslavia, 200 reservists refused the call-up for military service (called "training"). Following this, 50 Yugoslav tanks surrounded the village for 40 days and the Zitzer Spiritual Republic was born.

On 8 April, a Moscow district court excused conscientious objector Pavel Zverev from military service. Judge Lidiya Sorokina read Article 59 of the constitution aloud in court. She ruled that this constitutional assurance should be upheld, even though there is still no law establishing a structure for civilian service.

In London, International CO Day was marked by the unveiling of a memorial to conscientious objectors in Tavistock Square. The inscription on the slab of 450-million-year-old Cumbrian rock reads "To all those who have established and are maintaining the right to refuse to kill. Their foresight and courage give us hope".

On 4-6 March, 19 people from 10 European countries met to discuss the situation of draft resisters and deserters seeking asylum. This has become a major issue in Europe with the large numbers of refugees from the war in former-Yugoslavia, especially as several governments insist that Croatia and Serbia are not part of the war zone.

International CO Day, 15 May, in many countries will focus on the theme "possibilities for nonviolent solutions for the conflict in Turkish Kurdistan". But Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Çiller has declared her intention of achieving a military solution by then, and as a result the situation is hotting up for Turkish war resisters.

The Prisoners of Conscience Appeal Fund in London exists to give money to nonviolent prisoners of conscience. The funds are intended as personal support for the prisoner or prisoner's family. The POC Fund tends to operate by the same criteria as Amnesty International, stressing that prisoners must not have advocated violence.

Rodrigo Juan Villagra Carron has become the first "official" CO in LA. He is one of the five Paraguayan COs who did a public presentation last September, and on 15 March, a judge recognised him as CO. The right to CO is recognised in the Paraguayan constitution, but there is no regulatory law detailing what provisions should be made for COs.