The Italian Committee against Compulsory Military and Civil Service ("Nê giusta nê utile" - not fair, nor useful) and the Hungarian League Against Conscription (HEL) denounce the conscription everywhere, so in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. "During a war, in a country where there is conscription, civilian men in military age are obliged at gunpoint to dress a uniform and fight for a cause which is not necessary theirs own cause. Citizens not intending to fight with anybody are involved in the war due to conscription. This is one of the reasons why we demand immediate stop to conscription. We denounce all acts of forced conscription regardless which part practices that, in this case the Yugoslavian Army, the Albanian separatists's troops UCK, or even the NATO armed forces. The peaceful citizens should have the right to be out of the hostilities, and out of the armed forces" - they said.
The Yugoslav Defence Forces are based on conscription. One year of military service is compulsory for the male citizens from 18 to 27 year old; reservist can be called until 60 year old. The alternative civil service is twice long (24 months). In peace-time deserters are tried by Military Courts and can appeal to a Supreme Military Court. A deserter can be sentenced up to 10 years' imprisonment or even to 15 years if he fled abroad. During the war in the former Yugoslavia a lot of men in military age fled abroad to avoid military service, in particular ethnic Albanians from Kosovo. Some 12.500 men enjoyed the 1996 amnesty, for those who deserted before 14 December 1995. (See Amnesty International, The right to conscientious objection in Europe).
In 1998, with the worsening of the conflict in Kosovo, thousands of conscripts were send to barracks in Kosovo, and were used for repressive actions against ethnic Albanians. Among these conscripts there were many ethnic Hungarians, transferred from the barracks in Vojvodina. According to documents of the European Council (European Contracts, ETS No. 157., sect. 16.), conscription implies increased dangers to the national minorities. According to NATO sources the Yugoslav Army has "about 85,000 troops, mostly poorly trained conscripts, and possibly 200,000 reservists. Morale is said to be low, and a call-up of reservists proved problematic, with hundreds of reservists protesting in several southern cities, and Montenegro actively working against the call-up. In some areas, only one in 10 reservists have reported for duty." On March the 24th the Serbian government declared the state of war. According to Tanjug news agency the official declaration issued by President Milutinovic of stated: "All legal proceedi
ngs against persons accused of illegal activities will be suspended, if they are mobilised into the army". Legal expert Professor Kosta Cavoski, interviewed by independent Radio B-92, said that while the declaration of an imminent threat of war basically serves to concentrate executive powers, the state of war can permit limitation of personal freedoms According to George Jahn, an Associated Press writer, "After Serb authorities declared a state of war and a general mobilisation, many military-age men fled their homes to avoid conscription". According to the Canadian newspaper "The Globe and Mail" Serbian deputy prime minister Vojislav Seselj said to the parliament of Serbia: "There will be no mercy for deserters and those who disseminate panic, those who are spreading false news and rumours, or those who are in any way diminishing the defence power of the country. There will be no backing down ... Everybody has to show a maximum contribution - everybody has to answer the call to mobilise".
"Brutal treatment of deserters is typical for not only Yugoslavia but for all the countries and nations insisting on conscription." said the two anti-conscription organizations. "We call the European governments, institutions and citizens, as well as the organisation of United Nations to declare the right of being out of the war, out of the armed violence, the right of conscientious objection as basic human rights. Putting an end to conscription could be the first practical step of the conflict preventing mechanism in Europe. Therefore we call the European governments to stop conscription immediately and to do everything possible to outlaw everywhere this barbaric practice against any fundamental liberties. The right to a secure existence for all the peace-loving citizens and national groups - that is what we call for".
Valentina Piattelli
Nê giusta nê utile - Comitato per l'abolizione della leva obbligatoria militare e civile http://abolisci-leva.freeweb.org
and
Henrik Farkas
Hungarian League Against Conscription (HEL)
http://www.c3.hu/~farkashe/hel/english.htm
