The Constitution of the Russian Federation (Art. 59, part 3) guarantees every citizen "in case his convictions and religion does not allow him to serve in the armed forces (...) the right to substitute it by the alternative civil service". By virtue of Art. 15 of the Constitution, the Basic Law of our country "is of supreme juridical force and direct action and is valid in the whole territory of the Russian Federation". However, the lack of Federal Alternative Civil Service Law, which has not been adopted yet, poses serious problems.

Only several hundreds conscripts had recourse to the law and managed to exercise their right to conscientious objection. Now they wait for the adoption of the Alternative Civil Service Law. However, the majority is ignorant of their constitutional rights, encountering at every step outrageous lies and menaces of the officers of the Military Registration and Enlistment Office which by fair means or foul try to fulfil the conscription plan drawn up by their superiors.

The Alternative Civil Service Law (i.e. a good law, allowing every conscript a free choice between military barracks and an activity useful for the society) is necessary as the breath of life. It is necessary not only for those who cannot take in hand the arms because of personal convictions. Certainly, it is not the Council of Europe (to which we promised to organize the alternative civil service as soon as possible) who needs it. All Russian citizens need it, because they pay the taxes spent for maintaining the status quo which suits perfectly well all those generals who do not want to leave their familiar spots and cannot bear talks about reduction in armed forces, inevitable in case of a military reform.

The Alternative Civil Service Law is not only a guarantee of the constitutional right to the liberty of conscience. This Law is the first sign of the military reform which has not yet begun in Russia.

The militarist lobby in the State Duma does its best in order to block the adoption of the Law, which has already been adopted in first reading in December 1994 and has been twice voted down in second reading in 1995.

The names of the opponents of the constitutional right to conscientious objection are well known. First of all, it is Russian Defence Minister Igor Rodionov who declared that "the adoption of the alternative civil service law means death for the armed forces". Another opponent is the Head of the Duma Defence Committee general Lev Rokhlin who tries to legitimate in the guise of the alternative civil service the so-called "construction battalions" in which it would be possible to send for four years all those who "have the luck" to prove the incompatibility of their convictions (by the way, only religious convictions are to be taken into account) with the military service. They are opposed by the deputies who strive for the adoption of a non-discriminatory alternative and really civil service law as soon as possible.

The present membership of the State Duma does not allow one to hope that in the nearest future his Law may be adopted. The President could legitimate the alternative civil service with a presidential decree, but he evidently does not crave for it. So, what can we do in this situation?

We appeal to you, young Russian citizens.

You need the alternative civil service law most of all. You are wanted by the authorities who send the militia to find you and send to Chechnya or, at the best, to dig the ground "from the fence till dinner" constructing another general's country cottage.

The destiny of the Alternative Civil Service Law depends on you.

Emancipate yourself from your fear, from the lack of faith in the force of Law and Right. Stop hiding in your friends' flats and save up to bribe military commissars. Declare openly your rights and demand what belongs to you according to the Law.

Declare that you are a conscientious objector and demand the alternative civil service in conformity with Art. 59 part 3 of the Russian Constitution. In case your requirements are not met, appeal against the Military registration and enlistment office to the Court. The higher the number of the requests (not 200 - 300, as now, but dozens of thousands!), the more difficult it will be to ignore your will, the sooner the alternative civil service law will be adopted and will come into force.

We do not call you to violate the Law. We just call you to exercise your constitutional right in order to realize the principles of the Constitution in legal regulations, available to every conscript.

We call you neither to riot nor to abscond. We call you to obey: neither functionaries nor generals, but Law, Right and Russian Constitution.

Today we have a unique chance: we can begin an unprecedented, well-organized, mass CIVIL OBEDIENCE CAMPAIGN! Only such a campaign (probably the first campaign of non-violent civil action in Russian history) can make the powers that be take citizen's will into account.

We do not set ourselves the object of destroying the army. On the contrary, we want our armed forces no longer jeopardize Russia itself and its citizens and meet the present-day requirements.

Our opponent is not the army and, certainly, not its hungry and robbed soldiers and officers who honestly perform their duty. We (I hope, you too) are in opposition to militarism, to the conservative generals and politicians who do not care a straw about the Constitution and the human rights defending advantages and profits of their ministry.

We appeal to you, young Russian citizens: join the civil obedience campaign! Its goal is simple and clear - adoption of a democratic and non-discriminatory alternative civil service law as soon as possible.

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First signatures:

Nikolaj KHRAMOV, secretary of the Anti-militarist Radical Association (ARA); Alexander GORDON, journalist, author of the "Private Case" program on the cannel TV-6 Moscow; Valerij BORSHCHEV, member of the State Duma (Jabloko), vice president of the Committee on public associations and religious organizations, president of ARA; Viktor POKHMELKIN, member of the State Duma (Russia's Democratic Choice); Boris MISNIK, member of the State Duma (Jabloko); Aleksej ZAKHAROV, member of the State Duma (Jabloko); Sergej GRUSHCHAK, member of the State Duma (Jabloko), vice president of the Committee on women, family and youth; Jurij NESTEROV, member of the State Duma (Jabloko), vice president of the Committee on information policy and communications; Igor LUKASHEV, member of the State Duma (Jabloko); Viktor SHEJNIS, member of the State Duma (Jabloko); Margarita PETROSJAN, legal expert, author of the draft law on alternative civilian service; Archbishop NIKON (Lamekin), Head of the Truly Orthodox Church; Vadim HESSE, consci

entious objector, former prisoner of conscience, member of ARA secretariat; Ljudmila ZINCHENKO, president of the Association of Soldiers' Mothers in Cheljabinsk Region; Valentina MELNIKOVA, press secretary of the Russian Committee of Soldiers' Mothers.