Release conscientious objector Efi Drishner
Use this form to send the letter below to the relevant authority (Minister of Defence Moshe Ya`alon). 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 Moshe Ya'alon,
Efi Drishner, 18 years old from Ashdod, has been imprisoned for the third time for his refusal to join the Israeli military.
He was sentenced to 20 days imprisonment on 13 May and is now in Military Prison no. 6.
Repeated imprisonment is a violation of international legal standards. In November last year, the UN Human Rights Committee, in its Concluding observations, reiterated their concern that individuals whose conscientious objection applications are rejected may be repeatedly imprisoned. They called upon the Israeli authorities to refrain from repeated imprisonment for refusal to serve in the armed forces, which may constitute a violation of the principle of ne bis in idem.
Efi Drishner refuses to enlist in the Israeli Army based on beliefs and conscience. He claims his human right to conscientious objection, as guaranteed by Article 18 of the International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). In a decision from January 2007, the United Nations Human Rights Committee recognised the right to conscientious objection as a legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, as guaranteed by Article 18 of the ICCPR.
I urge you to immediately release Efi Drishner , all other conscientious objectors, and ensure that Efi is not re-imprisoned in future.
Yours sincerely,
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