"Prime Time" program, July 11, 1995, 6:00 PM

ANDREI ZAVIALOV IS ON THE AIR. OUR PROGRAM GOES ON. BUT STILL WILL THE ALTERNATIVE MILITARY SERVICE BE INTRODUCED IN RUSSIA? THIS QUESTION WAS DISCUSSED TODAY AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE OF ANTI-MILITARISTS' RADICAL COALITION. SVETLANA SOKOLOVA WITH DETAILS.

THE LAW ON ALTERNATIVE CIVILIAN SERVICE IS NOT ADOPTED YET. MORE AND MORE OF THOSE WHO REFUSED TO SERVE THE OBLIGATORY MILITARY SERVICE COME OUT WITH EVERY DRAFT. BESIDES, ACCORDING TO THE CONSTITUTION, EVERY DRAFTEE HAS A RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE. BUT, CONSTITUTION IS THE CONSTITUTION, WHILE ARMY, AS IT'S KNOWN, IS A STATE INSIDE THE STATE. SO, THIS STATE OBEY ITS OWN LAWS UNDERSTANDABLE ONLY TO MILITARY MEN THEMSELVES. MAXIM KOSTIURIN, ONE WHO REFUSED, SPEAKS:

///KOSTIURIN'S ACT///

ON APRIL 7, 1994, AT THE DRAFT COMMISSION, A SUMMONS WAS

HANDED TO ME FOR PASSING MILITARY SERVICE. AT THE SAME MOMENT,

I SUBMITTED A DECLARATION THAT READ, THAT BY MY CONVICTION

CONTRADICTING MILITARY SERVICE, REFERRING TO ARTICLE 59 P.3 OF

RUSSIAN CONSTITUTION, I REFUSE PASSING MILITARY SERVICE AND

ASK FOR REPLACING IT BY AN ALTERNATIVE CIVILIAN ONE. BUT THE

MILITARY COMMISSION DENIED MY RIGHT, AND I TURNED TO A COURT.

THE REGIONAL COURT HAS ALSO DENIED MY RIGHT TO PASS AN

ALTERNATIVE SERVICE, SO NOW MY CASE IS PENDING.

///END KOSTIURIN'S ACT///

FRANKLY SPEAKING, AFTER THIS STORY IT IS NOT CLEAR WHAT FOR THE CAPITAL LAW, OR CONSTITUTION, EXISTS IN RUSSIA IF NOT FOR ITS VIOLATION?

TODAY AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE, REPRESENTATIVES OF ANTI-MILITARISTS' RADICAL ASSOCIATION HAVE PUBLISHED DECLARATION OF NINETEEN WHO REFUSED MILITARY SERVICE. IN PARTICULAR, IT READS THAT, IN SPITE OF LEGAL RIGHT TO REFUSE MILITARY SERVICE BY CONVICTION ENSURED BY ARTICLE FIFTY-NINE OF RUSSIAN CONSTITUTION, DRAFT COMMISSIONS AND MILITARY COMMISSIONS VIRTUALLY DENY OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT, REFERRING TO ABSENCE OF A LAW ON ALTERNATIVE CIVILIAN SERVICE.

ANTI-MILITARISTS' RADICAL ASSOCIATION HAS ALREADY GATHERED 5,500 SIGNATURES UNDER THE APPEAL TO STATE DUMA OF RUSSIA, INSISTING ON ADOPTION OF THE LAW ON ALTERNATIVE CIVILIAN SERVICE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WELL, ONLY HAVE TO WAIT TILL AUTUMN, WHEN STATE DUMA SHOULD TAKE THE DRAFT LAW UNDER CONSIDERATION. NOW ALL HOPES OF DRAFTEES BREAK AGAINST ARTICLE FIFTY-NINE OF CONSTITUTION, MALFUNCTIONING FOR SOME REASON. BESIDES, IT PROVOKES AN INVOLUNTARY COMPARISON WITH LONG-SUFFERING RUSSIA ITSELF, RUSSIA THAT CAN'T BE UNDERSTOOD BY A MIND AND MEASURED BY A RULER.

SVETLANA SOKOLOVA, RADIO ROCKS, MOSCOW

Translated into English by A.Prischenko, July 12, 1995