Prisoners for Peace Honour Roll 1999

Armenia

Samvel Manukyan (in 07/97, out 05/00)
g Kosh, ITK, Nachalniku, Armenia
Objector, Jehovah's Witness, reported to have been severely beaten.

Karen Voskanian (in 09/98 - expected out 04/01)
g Gyumri, SIZO, Nachalniku, Armenia
Objector, Jehovah's Witness

Gagik Ohanian
Artur Stepanian
Armen Asoian
Grigor Daian
Artur Martirosian
Ruslan Ohanganian
Gurgen Sevoian
All are imprisoned as a result of their conscientious objection to military service.

Britain

Although we are unaware of anyone in prison on 1 December, during 1999 at least 20 peace activists from Bread not Bombs, Ploughshares, Trident Ploughshares, Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases and Aldermaston, Sellafield and Menwith Hill Women's Peace Camps were imprisoned for antimilitarist non-violent action with sentences ranging from 7 days to 9 months.

Finland

Jukka Johansson (in 13.7.1999 -- out 29.1.2000)
Kim Åke (in 30.8.1999 -- out 17.3.2000)
Suomenlinnan työsiirtola, Suomenlinna C 8600190 Helsinki, Finland

Tom Kettunen (in 21.9.1999 -- out 8.4.2000)
Turun lääninvankila PL 212 20101 Turku, Finland

Otso Kivekäs (in 19.10.1999 -- out 6.5.2000)
Nakke Leppänen (in 11.10.1999 -- out 28.4.2000)
Otto Salin (in 4.10.1999 -- out 21.4.2000)
Niko Salminen (in 15.9.1999 -- out 2.4.2000)
Helsingin työsiirtola 01531 Vantaa, Finland

Antra Löövi (in 18.8.1999 -- out 6.3.2000)
Haminan työsiirtola, Karjakatu 25 49400 Hamina, Finland

The following total objectors have been released this year:
Juan Meneses, Mikko Suonpää, Mikko Juhanantti, Mika Iisakka, Kai Hall, Jan Hellsten, Juri Rosenberg, Markus Latvala, Teppo Salonen, Harri Mulari

Germany

Dr. Wolfgang Sternstein
Justizvollzugsanstalt Rottenburg, Schloss 1, 72108 Rottenburg, Germany
140 days: in prison since 22.11.1999 for action at the EUCOM facility in Stuttgart.

Fabian-Kai-Albert Kultscher
JVA Hildesheim, Godehardplatz 7, 31134 Hildesheim, Germany.
Total resister to military service, evaded arrest for two years but will be tried on 14 December. He also faces charges arising from attendance at anti-nuclear and anti-racist protests.

Indonesia

Five East Timorese -- sentenced for between nine years and life for helping organise nonviolent protests at the time of, and later in commemoration of the 1991 Santa Cruz massacre -- have been promised release within the next weeks.
João Freitas da Camara at LP Cipinang, Jakarta, Indonesia; Francisco Mirando Branco, Gregorio da Cunha Saldanha, Jacinto das Neves Raimundo Alves, and Saturnino da Costa Belo, at LP Semarang, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia.

The following members of the PRD, a political party illegal during the Suharto years, are also expected to be released before 1 December. All were imprisoned for organising nonviolent protests, for labour organising, and for solidarity work with East Timorese:
Budiman Sudjatmiko, Ignatius Damianus Pranowo, Gusti Agung Anom Astika, Petrus Haryanto, Suroso, Yakobus Eko Kurniawan at LP Cipinang, Jakarta, Indonesia
Garda Sembiring, also a PRD member, at LP Tangerang, Jakarta, Indonesia

The decision to release the remaining Timorese and PRD prisoners was made shortly after Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid took office in October. Delays blamed on paperwork have prevented their release so far.

Israel

Mordechai Vanunu
Ashkelon Prison, Ashkelon, Israel
18 years, Nuclear whistleblower convicted of espionage and treason - kidnapped 9/30/1986. More information available from U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu, 2206 Fox Ave., Madison, WI 53711, USA. (+1 608-257-4764; http://www.nonviolence.org/vanunu)

Lotahn Raz (#6963940)
DZ 02507, Tzahal, Israel
Political objector, spent three almost consecutive terms of imprisonment between 8 Aug. and 8 Oct. 1999. He has been exempted from military service.

Walid Nafa Druze objecting to serve in the Israeli army on national and political grounds, was held in prison between 1 Jun and 10 Sep. this year. This was his 7th and last term of imprisonment since March 1997. He is now exempted from military service.)

Oleg Bar-On Pacifist, spent four terms of imprisonment between Nov. 1998 and July 1999. He is now exempted from military service.

Yehuda Agus Anarchist resister, was imprisoned twice at the beginning of the year. Not officially exempted from military service. At the moment he is outside Israel as he might be in danger of imprisonment if he returns to Israel.

Dimitry Sokolik Pacifist, spent three consecutive terms of imprisonment between 30 June and 22 Aug 1999. He has an order to report to service again on 22 Nov, which is likely to be the start of his next term of imprisonment.

Mauritzio Lazaleh Was imprisoned once between 6 and 18 Sep. 1999. He has been exempted from military service.

State of Spain

Elías Rozas Alvarez
Ramiro Paz Correa
Plácido Ferrándiz Albert
Raul Alonso
Ignacio "Tasio" Ardanaz
Javi Gomez
Rafael "Fali" Fernandez
Alberto Naya
Josef Ghanime
All are held in:
Prisión Militar de Alcalá, Ctra Alcalá-Meco, km 5, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, State of Spain.
(total objectors, in 08/1997)

Unai Molinero
Contact: c/o KEM-MOC, Iturribide 12-1 D, 48005 Bilbao, Euskadi, State of Spain.

Carlos Pérez

Turkey

Akin Birdal
Mihriban Kyrdok
Muharrem Copur
Guzel Yarar
Eren Keskin (IHD, Human Rights Society, Chairman of the Istanbul Branch)
Mukaddes (a member of the IHD administration)
Leman Yurtsever (a member of the IHD administration)
Sensver Kaya (member of the IHD administration)
Umit Efe
Ozer Kazak
Zehra Yimaz
Cemile Atmaca
Hasan Tap
Mehtap Kurucay
Kenan Bulut

Turkmenistan

Roman Sidelnikov
g Chardzhau, ITU, Nachalniku, Turkmenistan
(in 06/1998 - out 05/2000, sentenced to two years conditionally in May 1996 for refusing call-up papers, but amnestied six months later. Sentenced in June 1998 to two years' imprisonment for "draft evasion".)

Oleg Voronin
g Gushgi, ITU voennogo naznacheniya, Nachalniku, Turkmenistan
(in 09/1998 - expected out 10/2003, sentenced to five and a half years for "evading military service", after he was forcibly removed to a military unit. He is believed to have been severely beaten and to have been refused a lawyer, No one has had access to Oleg Voronin since his detention in Gushgi military prison.)

United States of America

Tom Lewis-Borbely (#03609-036, sentenced for 3 months for refusing to pay restitution)
c/o 136 Austin St., Worcester, MA 01609, USA

Martha Scarborough
Joyce Parkhurst
c/o Nye County Sheriff, Detention Center, POB 831 Tonopah, NV 89049, USA
(De-fence action at Nevada nuclear weapons test site)

Michele Naar-Obed (12 months)
c/o Jonah House, 1301 Moreland, Baltimore, MD 21216, USA
("Jubilee Plowshares/East" direct disarmament of fast-attack submarine, 8/95. Probation revoked, returned to prison, 7/99) [more info from Jonah House, above, and disarmnow@erols.com]

Daniel Sicken (#28360-013, sentenced for 41 months)
FPC Lewisburg, P.O. Box 2000, Lewisburg, PA 17837.
Oliver Sachio Coe (#28361-013, sentenced for 30 months)
Unit AD, FPC Allenwood, P.O. Box 1000, Montgomery, PA 17752-9718, USA
("Minuteman III Plowshares" direct disarmament of nuclear missile silo, 8/6/98) [More info from MM III Plowshares Support, c/o Citizens for Peace in Space, POB 915, Colorado Springs, CO 80901.]

John Patrick Liteky (#83725-020, sentenced for several blood pouring protests against the School of the Americas at the Pentagon on 29/09 and 20/10/97 and at Ft Benning on 25/02/98)
FPC Sheridan, PO Box 6000, Sheridan, OR 97378-6000, USA
Fr. Bill Bichsel SJ (#86275-020)
FPC Sheridan Unit 5, P.O. Box 6000, Sheridan, OR 97378-6000, USA

The following were sentenced to 30 days on 14 October; all are now out of prison.

Lauren Cannon
Kateri McCarthy
Eddy Dyer
Sean Donahue
Jonathan Leavitt
Scott Kenji Warren
Blockade at Raytheon corporate offices, 28/05/99, in 14/10/99

FR Yugoslavia

With the proclamation of a state of war on 25 March 1999, a number of special provisions of the Yugoslav Criminal Code and the Law on the Army came into force. These included a sentence of one to 10 years' imprisonment for not responding to a call-up; at least five years for avoiding call-up by going into hiding; and five to 20 years for leaving the country or remaining abroad in order to avoid call-up.

The cases of between 4000 and 30,000 conscientious objectors, draft evaders and deserters are currently before the military courts. Several hundred are already said to have been imprisoned for sentences of at least five years. Many of the imprisoned conscientious objectors, draft evaders, and deserters are reportedly held in prisons at Zabela -Pozarevac, Sremska Mitrovica, and Nis.

For further information and contact addresses, see Andreas Speck's article in this pack.

Ideas for action

• On 1 December, put aside at least one hour and write at least four cards to prisoners;
• If possible, invite friends around and make an evening of it -- remember to bring nice cards, pens, photos, and some money for postage;
• Get your peace group or class or place of worship to organise a card-writing session;
• Set up a stall in your town centre -- make a mock prison cell to highlight the plight of the prisoners.

Sending cards and letters

• Always send your card in an envelope;
• Include a return name and address on the envelope;
• Be chatty and creative: send photos from your life, drawings;
• Tell prisoners what you are doing to stop war and war preparations;
• Don't write anything that might get the prisoner into trouble;
• Think about the sort of thing you'd like to receive if you were in prison;
• Don't begin, "You are so brave, I could never do what you have done";
• Don't expect the prisoner to reply;
• Remember -- next year it could be you...

If you get an interesting reply from a prisoner, please send a copy to the WRI office, 5 Caledonian Rd, London N1 9DX, England.

If your card is returned, send it to the appropriate embassy in your country, with a request that it be forwarded to the prisoner.