conscientious objection

Mon

Apr

2016

Statement in solidarity with the conscientious objectors of Bolivia for ANOOC, Colombia

New translation available

Submitted by hannah

This year on the 22nd of March, the Bolivian Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal (PCT) rejected the right of conscientious objection as an alternative to its obligatory military service. This has occurred in spite of the generally agreed-upon...

Wed

Apr

Colombia: Conscientious objector Diego Blanco illegally recruited

Submitted by antimili-youth on Wed, 19/04/2017 - 16:28

Conscientious Objector Diego Fernando Blanco López from Colombia was illegally recruited by the Colombian army, despite his right to postpone due to being a student. He is currently being forced to serve in the Grupo de Caballeria Mecanicado No 4 Juan de Corral of the Colombian Army in Rionegro, Antioquia.

Since his declaration of conscientious objection on 20th March 2017, Diego Blanco has been subjected to aggression and harassment by his superiors. When he refused to take arms earlier this week, he was attacked by the First Sergeant Oscar Camacho Cartagena and has been threatened with a court martial for disobedience/insubordination.

Support Diego Blanco with your protest emails to the authorities. Send your emails here.

Fri

Apr

After 130 days in prison, IDF frees conscientious objector Tamar Alon

Submitted by antimili-youth on Fri, 07/04/2017 - 12:59

After 130 days in military prison, the Israeli army on Wednesday released conscientious objector Tamar Alon from mandatory service. Alon served six terms in military prison for her refusal to be conscripted, which she said would have contributed to the oppression of the Palestinian people. She had expressed her willingness to instead perform civilian national service, an alternative the army rejected.

“The price I paid is small compared to the price millions of Palestinians have been paying for 50 years, whose basic rights are violated on a daily basis and whose freedom has yet to be returned to them like mine was returned to me,” Alon said upon being released from prison and military service.

Read the full article here.

This is an article by Yael Marom which appears on +972 Magazine.

Mon

Dec

Thailand: Interview with the conscientious objector Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal

Submitted by antimili-youth on Mon, 19/12/2016 - 14:22

During a War Resisters' International trip to Thailand last month we met Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, a conscientious objector. Here's a short interview by WRI staff member Hannah Brock, talking with Netiwit about conscription and the role of the army in Thailand.

Make sure 'CC' is on if you want subtitles (in English).

Thailand: Interview with the conscientious objector Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal

Thu

Nov

Israel: Activists refused to serve in the occupation

Submitted by antimili-youth on Thu, 17/11/2016 - 16:25

On November 16, Tamar Ze'evi and Tamar Alon declared their refusal to serve in the occupation at the IDF’s Tel Hashomer induction base outside Tel Aviv. A military tribunal sentenced both to two days in prison (following which they will be brought back for another hearing, and possibly sentenced again). Many activists supported Ze'evi and Alon, and accompanied them to the military induction base.

Alongside their solidarity protests taking place as part of the International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth, מסרבות (Mesarvot) -a network of Israeli organizations, groups and individuals who support political conscientious objectors- is also working on an international day of action to take place on 1st December.

Tue

Oct

South Korea: Appeal court victory for conscientious objectors

Submitted by antimili-youth on Tue, 18/10/2016 - 14:45

Amnesty International

Appeal court judges in Gwangju, south-west Korea, overturned the guilty verdicts of two conscientious objectors, Cho Rak-hoon and Kim Hyung-geun. It is the first time an appeal court has reversed guilty verdicts in a conscientious objectors case.

“The appeal court has sent a clear message that conscientious objection is not a crime. The government needs to act on the ruling and stop punishing young men who refuse military service on grounds of conscience,” said Hiroka Shoji, East Asia Researcher at Amnesty International.

“It is long overdue for South Korea to have an alternative to military service which respects freedom of thought, conscience and religion.”

Sat

Aug

Call for Articles: Examples of Youth Militarisation in Different Countries/Regions

Submitted by antimili-youth on Sat, 27/08/2016 - 12:22

War Resisters' International is organising the third International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth this year. The week is going to take place between November 14-20 with the participation of groups and individuals from different countries. See our call out here.

Alongside events and actions, this year we are also planning to share examples of youth militarisation, and resistance to it, from different countries via a series of articles. The articles will be published on our website www.antimili-youth.net. If you'd like to write to us about your country and/or community please contact us via cmoy@wri-irg.org.

Thu

Jul

Rejecting Militarization

Submitted by hannah on Thu, 28/07/2016 - 09:49

Colombia is the only South American nation with an ongoing internal armed conflict where military service is obligatory, requiring all 18-year-old young men to serve for 1 to 2 years - with no option of an alternative civil service. The Collective Action of Conscientious Objectors (ACOOC) is committed to nonviolence and they educate and defend the rights of youth who object to serving in the military. ACOOC works towards demilitarization of society by using creative means such as films and street theatre to highlight the degree of militarization in Colombian society.

Rejecting Militarization

Thu

Jul

Forced recruitment and peace

Submitted by hannah on Thu, 28/07/2016 - 09:02

Colombia is the only South American nation with an ongoing internal armed conflict where military service is obligatory, requiring all 18-year-old young men to serve for one to two years - with no option of an alternative civil service. A military identification card is required to work in the public sector. Julián Ovalle and Alejandro Parra, of the Collective Action of Conscientious Objectors, describe their personal experience with forced recruitment and how it can be a nightmare for someone who has a fundamental objection to military service.

Forced recruitment and peace

Fri

Jul

Conscientious objection declaration: Thailand's first CO

Submitted by hannah on Fri, 08/07/2016 - 12:10

We're supporting Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, ‪‎Thailand‬'s first conscientious objector. He'll be appearing in the next edition of The Broken Rifle [subscribe here: http://lists.wri-irg.org/sympa/subscribe/wri-info]

Watch Netiwit's declaration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuPOtZGkyTw

Conscientious objection declaration: Thailand's first CO

Wed

Jun

A Call to Action: International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth

Submitted by antimili-youth on Wed, 08/06/2016 - 10:58

Would you like to take action against the militarisation of youth with many others across the world?

You can join War Resisters' International's week of action, which will be held between 14-20 November for the third time this year. You can join as an individual or as a group.

War Resisters' International is organising the 3rd International Week of Action Against the Militarisation of Youth from 14 to 20 November this year. The week is a concerted effort of antimilitarist actions across the world to raise awareness of, and challenge, the ways young people are militarised, and to give voice to alternatives.

Pages

Languages

Countering Military Recruitment

WRI's new booklet, Countering Military Recruitment: Learning the lessons of counter-recruitment campaigns internationally, is out now. The booklet includes examples of campaigning against youth militarisation across different countries with the contribution of grassroot activists.

You can order a paperback version here.