WILL PACIFISTS INVENT SOMETHING BETTER THAN CONSTRUCTION BATTALION?

Georgij ILJIICHEV

"Vechernij Klub", July 13, 1995, p. 1, with photo

When at the beginning of 70-ties Iosif Brodsky wrote: "There is something female in pacifists", I fully agreed to him. I fear, however, now I will have to change my mind. Our Russian pacifists begin to act more and more hard and effectively.

There is a Transnational Radical Party. It exists in nearly all European and many non-European countries. It struggles for abolition of death penalty, for rights of sexual minorities, for "soft" drugs trade legalization. When several years ago a division of the party was opened here, a new sphere of its activity appeared -- struggle for alternative civilian service.

In May of this year, Anti-militarist Radical Association (A.R.A.) was created under the aegis of Radical party, and rushed against army draft system surprisingly rapidly and hard. Really this is not surprising, because among founders of A.R.A. there are deputies of State Duma Mr. Borschiov ("Jabloko" faction) and Mr. Rybakov ("Russia's Choice" faction), and directors of Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, and even Chairman of Italian Helsinki Committee Antonio Stango.

Here are results of radical pacifists' activity during two months.

First, gathering signatures was organized under an appeal to both Houses of the Parliament and the President of Russian Federation "For conscientious objection right, against militarism". During 60 days, not many signatures were gathered (slightly more than 5,000), but what the signatures! Eighteen deputies of State Duma, including Mr. Shejnis and Mr. Kashpirovskij. Andrej Bitov, Aleksandr Gorodnickij, president of Mordovia Mr. Gusljannikov, Marina Salje and Jurij Scekochihin joined the appeal.

Second, during last two weeks, signatures collecting groups were organized and acting in 24 largest cities of Russia from Vladimir to Krasnodar. In these cities, meeting are organized to explain in detail how to refuse military service legally.

Third, "Letter of Nineteen" appeared on July 11. Nineteen young draftees declare in it their refusal of military service, referring to Article 59 of Constitution. Such an act is a new step in draft evasion practice. According to Nikolaj Khramov, Secretary of A.R.A., "it is not so much an individual choice, but a political action of Ghandi non-violence spirits, aimed at adoption of nondiscriminatory law on alternative service as soon as possible; I stress, not any law, but only such a law that would not be a new variant of construction battalion, as Ministry of defence wants. A right to refuse military service should be granted to each citizen of our country."

"Letter of Nineteen", as for its creators, must become a catalyst of a massive attack against Duma that has failed the law in second reading. Soon radical pacifists will issue appeals signed in each election region and hand them to the appropriate deputies personally. Now it is unknown how many signatures will they manage to gather, but looking at this vast campaign, it can be dozens of thousands. Deputies will hardly hold their ground under such a pressure.

Mr. Aleksandr Lebedj commented this best: "The Law on alternative service must be adopted, but it is a two-edged weapon: it justifies a joke, that the Law is called "the Law on total military draft prolongation". If the law will not be elaborated in detail and tested, 20 or 50 more ways to evade army will join 22 known ones, and we will not be able to summon 200..250 thousand people having total population of 150 million.

One can add to words of this retired general, that the plan of current draft in Moscow is only 10 per cent fulfilled, this information having been announced at the press conference with a great pleasure.

/Translated into English by A.Prischenko, July 13, 1995/