THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE ANTIMILITARIST RADICAL ASSOCIATION

Moscow, May 19, 1998. The State Duma

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GENERAL MOTION

The General Council of the Antimilitarist Radical Association, convoked at its session on May 19, 1998, in Moscow at the State Duma, with participation of the invited deputies and militants who take an active part in the antimilitarist struggle,

has heard and approved the reports of the Secretary and of the acting Treasurer.

The General Council confirms the engagement of the ARA to fight for the soonest adoption of a liberal alternative civilian service law. We consider the following propositions the minimum fundamental requirements that such a draft law should meet:

- the alternative service must be of a civilian nature;

- its period must not exceed the 1,5 period of the military service;

- the grounds of replacing the military service by the alternative civilian service are constituted by an application of a conscript.

The General Council considers the Article 36 of the Alternative civilian service draft law to be a violation of the constitutional rights of the citizens. In case the amendment of deputies Borschev, Vorobjev, Gruschak and Golov concerning the voluntary basis for the service of conscientious objectors in the army as civilian personnel is voted down, the General Council calls the deputies to vote against this draft law, following not the instructions of their party or fraction, but their own notions about the rights of their electors.

The General Council draws the attention to the fact that the destiny of the alternative civilian service law is being decided now not only in the lobbies of the Parliament, but also in thousands of Courts all around Russia. In this connection the General Council points out that the "campaign of civil obedience" to the Constitution is still the main arm in our struggle for a liberal alternative civilian service law. Thus, the General Council appeals to all young Russian citizens to declare that they conscientiously object and to demand the alternative civilian service in conformity with Article 59.3. of the Russian Constitution.

The General Council considers of primary importance the steps taken against the sabotage of the Presidential Decree 722 of may 16, 1996 concerning the complete transition to the recruitment of the Armed Forces on a professional basis by January 1, 2000. The situation with this decree is to be examined from a juridical point of view. The Russian President must either guarantee the execution of his decree or explain distinctly to the whole country why this is not possible.

The General Council calls upon for carrying out a number of initiatives against the militarization of the school (i.e. introducing the course of military training in the senior classes, as envisaged by the new General military liability and military service federal law. The General Council considers it necessary to make an inquiry at the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation about the conformity of these clauses of the law with the Constitution; it is also necessary to introduce proper amendments into the General military liability and military service federal law.

The General Council supports the proposal to hold the Second Congress of the ARA next Autumn; the Congress will value the results of the work for the last two years and will outline the new objectives and goals of the association.