May 27, 1997, 2.00 - 3.30 PM

Participants:

- Nikolaj KHRAMOV, Secretary of ARA;

- Alexander GORDON, director of "Private Case" program on TV6 Moscow;

- Valerij BORSCEV, member of the State Duma, President of ARA;

- Valentina MELNIKOVA, member of Coordinating Board of the Russian Committee of Soldiers' Mothers.

Anti-militarist Radical Association (ARA) together with "Private Case" program on TV6 Moscow launched a new initiative in the spirit of Gandhi-style political nonviolence: the "Civil Obedience Campaign".

The aim of the Campaign: soonest adoption of a democratic, non-discriminatory law on alternative civilian service.

The essence of the campaign: using also wide possibilities given by TV, to call upon young Russian citizens of conscription age in order to get them realized that:

- Russian Constitution in Article 59.3 guarantees to every citizen right on conscientious objection;

- Constitution has direct implementation and the highest legal force, therefore, the conscientious objection right does not depend from whether the alternative civilian service law is already passed or not yet; several hundreds of citizens did use already this right, complaining to the court against decisions taken by military recruitment commissions to draft them into the army despite their application for alternative civilian service;

- the more citizens would demand their constitutional right on alternative civilian service instead military service, the more difficult it would be for militarist lobby to block adoption of the alternative civilian service law.

The first step in the framework of the Civil Obedience Campaign became the Appeal to Russian Conscripts which has been signed by a number of State Duma members, journalists, politicians, personalities of culture. The text of the Appeal and first signatures were promulgated during the news conference.

''We do not call upon for revolt or escape. We call upon to obey: not the officials or generals, but the Law, the Right, the Russian Constitution. Today we have a unique chance: to launch an unprecedented, well-organized, mass campaign of civil obedience! Being maybe the first campaign of nonviolent civil actions for the whole history of our country, it is the only thing which could force the regime to take citizens' will into consideration,'' write the authors of the Appeal.

This Appeal is addressed not only to those, who according to their deep personal convictions cannot hold arms and serve in the armed forces. We appeal to all young citizens of Russia who would like to contribute into the victory of Law and Right in our country.

"The Law, the Good Law, the Law As Soon As Possible," - this is our motto. We need not just any law, we don't need legalizing of construction battalions as "alternative service". We need a law which would allow to every Russian citizen to choose freely between army barrack and useful social service whose duration must not be of punitive character in comparison with military service terms.

Democratic members of the State Duma do their best in order to block the attempts of lobbyists from Arbat Square to militarize the future alternative civilian service law. However, their efforts are not enough for passing the law, the good law. The Civil Obedience Campaign should help them, making impossible preserving a status quo suitable for conservative generals.

For us - Radicals, anti-militarists, liberals, libertarians - a good law on alternative civilian service is something more than merely a law guaranteeing rights of certain group of citizens. This is a first swallow of the military reform. This is a lever able to move imperturbable stone block of military reform. That is why we proclaim and launch the Civil Obedience Campaign.

In fact, the Campaign is going on already almost three weeks. The first public action in the framework of the Campaign was a three-days mobilization in Moscow Gorbunov Culture Club, where several thousands of pamphlets with text of the Appeal to Russian Conscripts and empty forms for requesting alternative civilian service have been distributed during the concerts of popular rock groups (Time Out, Picnic, Mongol Shuudan, etc.) Four times a week we organize in Moscow street table of ARA, where one can obtain information about the Campaign and join it. The information about place and time of street tables is announced in "Private Case" program which is being broadcasted in direct air on TV6 Moscow at 6.30 PM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. One time per week ARA holds consultation seminars for conscientious objectors with 10-50 participants each time.

Currently, 14 conscripts joined the Campaign directing their conscientious objection forms to military recruitment commissions. However, there are more than 100 another members and adherents of ARA who are passing different stages of conscription objection process, starting to realize their constitutional right earlier. ARA provides careful registration of every conscientious objection form sent or brought to the office of Radical Party on Trubnaja street. Lists of new adhesions to the Civil Obedience Campaign would be periodically published in our Anti-militarist newsletter.