International Law

CCPR /C/MNG/CO/5 (...)

23. The Committee is concerned about the absence of an alternative civil service that would enable conscientious objectors to military service to exercise their rights in accordance with the provisions of the Covenant. The Committee is also concerned about the exemption fee that can be paid in lieu of doing military service, and the discrimination that may result therefrom (arts. 18 and 26 of the Covenant).

The State party should put in place an alternative to military service, which is accessible to all conscientious objectors and neither punitive nor discriminatory in nature, cost and/or duration. (...)

Source: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/docs/CCPR.C.MNG.CO.5_en.doc

Its author, Maikel Nabil Sanad, arrested after publicizing his findings on the net.

Below is a summary of some of the main findings of his report. For the full report go to the War Resisters International website at: www.wri-irg.org

Note: Maikel Nabil Sanad, 25, lives in Cairo, and is a political activist and blogger. In April 2009 he founded the "No to Compulsory Military Service Movement". As a pacifist, he declared his conscientious objection to military service and demanded to be exempted from it. He was arrested on 12 November 2010, by military police, but released two days later, and finally exempted from military service on medical grounds. He participated in the Tahrir demonstrations from the start.

A/HRC/17/18

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44. Ghana asked about measures taken to respond to requests made by the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations and the Human Rights Committee to enforce the legislation prohibiting the recruitment of children by the military. It referred to the gap that existed between men and women’s income at almost all levels, despite legal provisions on equal remuneration. Ghana made recommendations.

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II. Conclusions and/or recommendations

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A/HRC/17/17

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58. Slovakia (...) noted the (...) lack of clear grounds for accepting or rejecting an application for an alternative to military service. Slovakia made recommendations.

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II. Conclusions and/or recommendations

77. The recommendations formulated during the interactive dialogue and listed below have been examined by and enjoy the support of Estonia.

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77.77. Ensure that the right of conscientious objection to military service is upheld, and clarify the grounds for acceptance or rejection of such claims (Slovakia);

(...)

Views of the Human Rights Committee under article 5, paragraph 4, of the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (one hundredth and first session)

Concerning

Communications No. 1642-1741/2007**

Submitted by: Min-Kyu Jeong et al (represented by counsel, André Carbonneau)

Alleged victim: The authors

State party: The Republic of Korea

Date of communication: 21 September and 6 November 2007 (initial submissions)

The Human Rights Committee, established under article 28 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

A/HRC/17/8

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“93.The following recommendations will be examined by Austria which will provide responses in due time, but no later than the seventeenth session of the Human Rights Council in June 2011:

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93.47. Raise the age for all enrolments into armed forces to the age of at least 18 years in line with the CRC recommendation (Ghana, Slovakia);”

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Source: http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G11/119/21/PDF/G1111921.pdf?…

A/HRC/17/11

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37. Slovenia took note of the concluding observations of the Human Rights Committee on the issue of conscientious objectors, in particular, the differences between the length of non-military alternative service and military service and asked what steps had been taken to address that difference. Slovenia made recommendations.

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II. Conclusions and/or recommendations

105. The recommendations formulated during the interactive dialogue and listed below have been examined by Georgia enjoy the support of Georgia:

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Frank Slijper

After the bloody suppression of protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, the European Union (and the US) ordered an arms embargo that applies until today. From a human rights perspective this is fully justified: the situation remains appalling and attempts at democratic reforms are nipped in the bud. At the same time the embargo is also clearly politically motivated, to keep China as small as possible in military terms. While the economic relationship with China has grown, military co-operation rightly remains a thorny issue. Despite cracks in the embargo it won't be off the table any time soon. Yet it is a question how long the blockade will be maintained with China strengthening its power base.

(...)

Armenia:

Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or
belief, Heiner Bielefeldt

Addendum
Summary of cases transmitted to Governments and replies received

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(a) Allegations transmitted to the Government

The German Marshall Fund of the United States annually does a survey on important "transatlantic trends", which can make an interesting read. One of the questions asked is: "Please tell me to what extent do you agree with the following: Under some conditions, was is necessary to obtain justice." (Q29.2). The answers are quite revealing (see graphic below).

IN THE GRAND CHAMBER OF THE EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Application No.